


Arrow in the Heart

by AKgirl24



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-12 17:14:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 42,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5674132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKgirl24/pseuds/AKgirl24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Maxwell is about to officially join Team Arrow as their doctor/therapist/Felicity's assistant/kick-ass crime fighter with an attitude.  Essentially, she's the glue that is currently holding the group of vigilantes together.  She never meant to get wrapped up in the world of arrows and anger, but her ties to the city brought her back to her original stomping grounds, and in turn, right into the lap of her ex-boyfriend.  With her entire life now immersed in the world of secret badassery, Emma has only one option: to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in the Arrow world, but is not in complete conjunction with the show. Not all of the villains will make appearances and some may be made up from my own imagination. Thank you for your understanding.

“May I please have a 16 ounce vanilla latte to go?”

“Sure thing, Emma.” The barista replied, grabbing the requested cup size and a blue Sharpie.

“Thank you, Harper.” I said.

“You don’t usually get your coffee to go. What’s going on?” Harper asked, passing the cup to the barista next to her.

“I’m actually heading to Starling for awhile. An old friend called and wanted to meet up.”

“Ohh. What’s his name?” She asked, grinning at me as she took the next customer’s order.

“Oh um…well…it’s Oliver.”

“Wait. Like Oliver Queen? The boy who you slept with on prom night?” She asked, her eyes wide with the idea of potential gossip.

“Yes, it’s Oliver Queen, but we did not sleep together. He got drunk so I rented him a hotel room and put him to bed BY HIMSELF. Besides, I was dating Roy at the time. I would never cheat on someone, Harper.” I said, making sure she got the part about us not sleeping in the same bed.

“Okay, fine. Whatever you say. Have fun and be safe.” Harper said, handing me my latte.

I smiled and tucked my wallet into my shoulder bag. My eyes wandered around the small coffee shop. I loved it here. “Jitters” was my go-to place for a quick cup of coffee in Central City. I had only lived here since I graduated from medical school, but it felt like home. More so than Starling City ever had when I was growing up there.

I tossed my bag into the backseat of my black Tahoe and took a long sip of my caffeinated drink before shoving my key into the ignition and starting the long drive to my hometown.

I had only been driving for an hour or so when my phone rang. I saw that the caller ID said “Barry Allen”, so I answered.

“Hey, Barry. What’s going on?” I asked, putting him on speaker and setting my phone next to my cup of coffee.

“Do you want some company on your drive? I could use a talk and a good long run back here.” Barry replied.

“Sure. Do you want me to come get you or are you just going to do your little “Poof, I’m in your car thing?”

“The latter.” Barry said, suddenly in the passenger seat next to me.

I laughed and ended the call.

“Hi, Barry.” I said, smiling over at him before focusing back on the road.

“Hey, Emma. You do know that I could have just run you to Star City, right?” He asked.

“I know, but I wanted to have my car and I need a good long drive to clear my head before I get there.” I explained.

“I can understand that. I mean you haven’t been back since you left for college. Are you sure you want to do this? You do know what Oliver does, right?”

“Of course I know. I’m surprised nobody else has figured out that he’s the Green Arrow. I’m going back because I want to see him and a few other people. Oliver and I were really close friends growing up. I’ve missed him. And I know you’re worried about me being around Roy too, but I promise I’ll avoid him as much as possible.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt. It sounds like you and Roy had a rocky relationship that ended in some serious heartbreak for at least one of you.” Barry reminded.

“I know, Barry. Trust me, I have no interest in getting back together with him. Besides, isn’t he in Oliver’s little group now?” I asked.

“Yeah. He goes by ‘Arsenal’ now. Be careful, Ems. He can be dangerous.”

“I know.”

Barry took a sip of my coffee and settled deeper into his seat.

“I forgot how slow cars are.” He said casually, looking out the window.

“I’m going 5 miles over the speed limit.” I joked.

Barry laughed and smiled at me. He and I had become close friends after our mutual friend, Caitlin, had introduced us. Barry and I never had romantic feelings for each other, so our friendship became like that of a brother and sister.  
“Was there anything you wanted to talk about?” I asked Barry, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

“Not really. I visited my dad today. He says hi. It’s amazing how much he likes you seeing as how you’ve only seen each other through a window. Iris and Joe wanted me to remind you that you can call either of them if you ever need someone to talk to. Caitlin and Cisco want you to call when you get settled in. And I want you to know that I will come running to get you if you ever need me.”

“Tell them all that I’ll be fine. I greatly appreciate your offer. I’m just hoping I won’t have to take you up on it.” I said, laughing.

Barry and I drove the rest of the way in a combination of silence and conversation about the many injuries Barry had sustained that I had helped heal.

“I’m going to miss you.” I whispered during a lull in our conversation as we crossed into Star City.

“I’m going to miss you too, Ems. Just remember that I will always be here for you. And promise me that you’ll be careful.” Barry said, looking me in the eyes as we sat stopped at a red light.

“I promise.”

“Good. Now hurry up. I want to see Oliver and everyone else too.” Barry joked.

When we finally got to Oliver’s campaign office, Barry waited for me to park and unbuckle before grabbing me and racing inside.

“I need my bag, Barry.” I said, as he set me down.

“Got it!” Barry said as he raced out the door and back.

I heard footsteps behind us and turned to see Felicity Smoak. We had met when she came to Central City a few times to help Barry and the team with taking down metahumans.

“Emma! I didn’t know you were coming!” She exclaimed as she raced to hug me.

“Oliver didn’t mention it?” I asked, confused, as she moved to embrace Barry in a warm hug.

“He said someone was coming and that we had dinner plans tonight, but he didn’t really have time to say a name before he was called out on a lead.” She explained.

I nodded understandingly and followed her to the elevator that went to the lair. As we made the short descent, I gave Felicity the SparkNotes version of why I was in town. Needless to say, she was very excited to hear that I would be staying for a fair amount of time.

The doors of the elevator opened to the lair and I stood there in pure awe. The room was well lit with loads of weaponry and specific areas for each team members’ special outfit.

“What do you think?” Felicity asked.

“It’s amazing.” I said, still stunned.

Barry laughed at my bewildered expression before following Felicity over to an array of computers. As they talked science stuff, I walked around the lair, studying how amazing and well built everything was.

The doors of the elevator opened and Oliver, Thea, and Laurel walked in. All three of them greeted Barry with warm hugs and smiles before turning to me.

“Emma. It’s good to see you again.” Thea said, hugging me tightly for a moment.

I hugged her back and smiled.

“It’s good to see you too. You’ve grown up quite a bit.” I said, laughing.

“That’s what happens when you don’t see someone for almost eight years.” She replied, laughing.

“Hi, Laurel. You look great.” I said, as she walked over and gave me a hug.

“You do too. Little Miss Doctor Maxwell.” She joked.

“Oh gosh. I only get called that in the hospital.” I replied.

Oliver made his way over and wrapped me in a warm hug. I was slightly taken aback seeing as Oliver was never really much of a hugger. I hugged him back until he let go a minute later.

“I’ve missed you. It’s good to see you happy and healthy.” He said, gently squeezing my hand.

“I’ve missed you too, Ollie.”

The elevator doors opened again and this time the person inside was the one person I didn’t want to see. It was my ex-boyfriend, Roy Harper.  
The look on his face when he saw me was one of surprise and a little bit of regret.

“Emma. What are you doing here?” He asked, stepping out of the elevator.

I saw Barry tense out of the corner of my eye. Out of all the people in the room, he, Roy, and I were the only people who knew what really happened between Roy and I all those years ago.

“I’m here visiting some old friends. This was my first stop, but I think I’ll be leaving now.” I said, moving to grab my bag, which I had left on Felicity’s chair.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll head out. Enjoy your time with your friends.” He said, turning to get back on the elevator.

“What is going on? Do you two know each other?” Oliver asked, confusion written on his and everyone else’s face.

“You could say that.” Roy muttered, getting back in the elevator.

The doors shut and Roy was out of view. Slowly, everyone turned to face me as their confusion and curiosity filling the room.

“Roy and I dated once. It was a messy breakup. Long story.” I said, trying to smooth over the subject.

“I don’t have anywhere to be.” Oliver said.

It was evident that I wouldn’t hear the end of it until he knew the whole story. Oliver had always been stubborn like that.

“I think now might be a good time for me to head home and see my family.” I said, trying to escape.

“Your mom is still at work, as is your dad. They won’t be home for another three hours. The truth please, Emma.” Oliver said, pulling over a chair for me.

“Okay, fine. Roy and I met when we were 15 and we started dating within a few months. Everything was going really well for the first year and then I decided that I wanted to go out of the state for college and then medical school. Roy wasn’t sure he wanted to go finish high school, let alone go to college. After that, things got rocky. We held on for another year before it became too hard for me. I didn’t want to be with someone who didn’t support my dreams. Roy ended things by telling me I was a selfish bitch and that he wished he had never met me because I wouldn’t change my plans for him. And that was it. I was devastated. I thought he was the one for me and everything just came crashing down.”

By the time I finished my story, everyone’s expressions had changed from curiosity to pity with a touch of understanding sadness.

“Well, I’m going to go kick his ass.” Oliver said, standing up.

“Oliver, no. It’s not worth it. I’m not worth it. It’s over and done with. That was eight years ago. We’re 25 now, Ollie. I’ve finally let go and moved on. I’m sure he’s done the same.”

“Don’t ever say you’re not worth it. You will always be worth it. I won’t kick his ass for now, but if he steps a single toe out of line, he’ll wish he never met me.” Oliver said, sitting back down.

“I’m sure it won’t be the first time he’s wished that.” A voice said.

I turned and saw John Diggle standing by the elevator. I ran over and hugged him tightly.

“Hey, Emma.” He said, smiling.

“How do you two know each other?” Laurel asked.

“Diggle has been a family friend for years.” I replied, sitting back down in the chair Oliver had pulled up for me.

“Look at us. The gang is together for the first time. It feels good.” Felicity said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short. The next few will be longer. Thank you for reading.

The first few hours after my arrival in Star City were consumed with being filled in on everything that had happened while I was gone. I had known Oliver went missing and then come back five years later, but that was just about the extent of my knowledge.

“And then Oliver proposed to Felicity at this really cute tree lighting ceremony. It was quite romantic.” Laurel said.

“Wait, what? Congratulations! I’m so happy for you two!” I said, hugging Felicity and admiring the ring on her finger.

“Thank you.” Oliver said, as he beamed lovingly at his fiancée.

All of the sudden, a loud beeping came from the computer I was sitting next to. I jumped off the desk and looked at the screen, curious as to what was happening.

“There’s a robbery at Starling City National Bank.” I said, turning to Oliver.

“Can we just let the police handle this one?” Laurel asked.

“I’ll handle it. If it’s something bigger, I’ll let you know.” Diggle said, already suiting up.

“Be careful.” I said.

Diggle laughed before disappearing into the elevator.

“I’m hoping that for once this can be just a routine robbery and not part of some outlandish plan.” Thea said, eyeing the computers warily.

Everyone nodded in agreement before returning to what they were doing before the alarm. Thea and Laurel continued to fill me in on everything that had happened in the eight years that I had been away, with occasional input from Barry, Felicity, and Oliver. By the time Diggle got back, Barry had to leave to go help Cisco and Caitlin with a possible metahuman.

“We should go get ready for dinner.” Felicity suggested as the clock showed almost 4:30.

I nodded in agreement and followed her back upstairs. Felicity gave me directions to her and Oliver’s apartment. As I drove, we talked about how her and Oliver fell in love and some of the hardships that they had been through together. When we got to the apartment, Felicity led me to an amazing walk-in closet filled with clothes.

“I’m so excited that we’re the same size!” She exclaimed, pulling out a dress and handing it to me.

“Felicity, you know I don’t like pink.” I said, regarding the rose colored dress she had handed me.

“Sorry! How about this one?” She asked, holding up a white fitted dress with black lace overlay.

“Perfect.” I said, taking it.

Felicity disappeared into the bedroom so I could change in privacy. The dress fit perfectly, hugging my curves in all the right places.

“What do you think?” I asked, coming into the bedroom.  
“Wow. You look amazing. Now you just need some shoes.” She said, racing back into the closet.

She tossed me a pair of black heels. I slid them onto my feet and looked in the mirror. Perfect.

Felicity got dressed and came back out in a knee length red dress that looked absolutely stunning on her. She helped me tame my curly brown hair into a decent looking bun before tossing hers back in her signature ponytail. Felicity’s phone buzzed on the bed and she glanced at the screen before answering.

“Hello? Okay. We’ll be there soon. Love you too. Bye.”

“I’m guessing that was Ollie?” I asked, pulling on my black cardigan.

She nodded and grabbed a light jacket before following me to my car. We drove to the restaurant in silence, the only sound coming from the radio. When we got there, I parked and looked over at Felicity.

“Why are we at a super fancy restaurant, Felicity? I would have been fine with something like Big Belly Burger and then a bar or something.” I said, starting to get a little nervous.

“Come on. I know you never go out to fancy dinners, even though it’s not like you can’t afford it. Besides, Oliver booked it.” She said, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door.

We found Oliver and Thea inside, debating over something that sounded dangerous. When they spotted us, Thea smiled and waved us over. I sat next to her so that Oliver and Felicity could sit together.

“You both look amazing.” Thea remarked.

“You do to. Blue is a good color for you.” I said, admiring her outfit.

Dinner was relatively painless. Growing up, I had been to a lot of fancy dinners with my parents. They owned one of the most successful law firms in the nation, so we were always dressing up and going out. It was one of the reasons why I avoided fancy dinners as an adult. I had more than my fill during my childhood.

“That food was amazing. I need to go workout for a few hours now.” I said, folding my napkin and setting it next to my plate.

Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement. After Oliver and I argued over who would pay (he won), we left and decided to head back to the lair. When we arrived, Laurel, Diggle, and Roy were there, suiting up.  
“What the hell is going on?” Oliver asked.

“We got a lead on a Vertigo dealer. He’s the last one out there, but he’s surrounded by security. Now may be the only chance we have to get him.” Roy said as he grabbed his mask.

“Alright. Diggle, fill me in as I suit up.” Oliver said.

Diggle nodded and started talking while Oliver got changed and Felicity ran to the computer to start tracking the target. I stood back and watched as they worked. It was clear how well they worked together as a team.

“We’ll be back. You stay here with Felicity.” Oliver said to me as he counted the arrows in his quiver.

“What can I do to help?” I asked, desperate to do something.

“If Felicity needs help with anything, you can do that. Just stay put.” He said as they ran off into the night.

“Don’t worry, Em. They’ll be fine.” Felicity said as she typed furiously.

“I hope so.” I replied, sitting in a chair next to her and spinning to face on of the computers.

I pulled up some of the records of the person they were out fighting. He sounded dangerous. All of the sudden, I heard Felicity start freaking out.

“What’s wrong? Is everyone okay?” I heard her ask Oliver through his earpiece.

“Roy’s been shot. He’s bleeding pretty badly. Have Emma set something up for when we get back.” I heard Oliver said.

Felicity turned to look at me, but I was already getting started. I grabbed bandages, gauze, tape, thread, needles, and got a morphine drip set up.

“You guys have a whole hospital down here.” I said to Felicity, surprised to find that everything I needed was in the drawers.

“Yeah, we need it. Trust me.” She said before turning back to communicating with the team.

A few minutes later, the team came back, with Oliver carrying Roy. He set him down on the table in front of me and I went to work immediately. As much anger as I had towards the man on the table, I didn’t want to see him die.

“What happened?” I asked as I pulled off Roy’s suit.

“We were ambushed. They must have known we were coming. At least the bullets aren’t poisoned.” Oliver remarked.

Roy’s main injury was a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. I started the IV with the morphine drip and got to work.

“It’s going to hurt like hell until the morphine kicks in.” I said to Roy and I grabbed a stack of gauze and some Betadine solution to sterilize the area around the wound.

“My anger is dulling the pain.” He said as Oliver laughed.

I snatched pair of tweezers from the tray I had assembled and began removing the bullet. Roy tensed in pain as I had to dig in his shoulder to find the piece of metal. I finally found it and pulled it out, dropping it onto the tray. I carefully stitched up the wound before taping a piece of gauze over it and wrapping a bandage on top.

“Thanks.” He said when I had finished.

I nodded and began cleaning up the bloody mess I had made.

“Get some rest.” I said, not looking at him as I tossed the bloody gauze in a nearby trash bin.

“Well, welcome back to Star City, Emma,” Oliver said with a smile. “I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke up in my hotel room. I decided not to stay at my parent’s house and deal with my cheating dad and oblivious mom. I checked my phone and saw a text from Felicity from a few minutes ago.

Roy’s not looking too hot…

Shit. What was going on? I dialed Felicity’s number as I raced to pull on a pair of jeans and a plain black shirt.

“Hello?” Felicity answered.

“Felicity, it’s Emma. What’s going on with Roy?” I asked, swiping my keys off the table and racing out the door.

“I’m not sure. He has a fever and he’s pale and sweating.” She said.  
“Are you sure the bullet wasn’t laced with something?” I asked, running to my car.

“I’ll run some tests on it.” She said.

“Do it as fast as you can. I’m on my way.” I said, hanging up.

By the time I got there, Felicity had finished running tests on the bullet and come up with a conclusive answer: Vertigo. The bullet had a small chamber on the inside that had been filled with a small, extremely potent, amount of the drug.

“I gave him some of the serum that I used when I was injected with Vertigo. It should help, even if they’ve changed the formula in the drug.” Oliver said.

I nodded and rushed over to check on Roy. His face was gaining color and sweat stained his red shirt. I ripped the material off his body and saw that the bullet wound was healing as it should be. I checked his pulse and heart rate. Both were a high, but were slowing down from the results Felicity had gotten a little while ago.

“He needs fluids. Someone get me an 500 ml IV bag of 0.9% sodium chloride please and adrenaline.” I requested as I prepared Roy’s arm for an IV.

Oliver grabbed the requested IV kit and bag from a drawer and handed it to me before grabbing a nearby IV stand and hanging the bag from it. I got the IV started and gave him the adrenaline and stepped back for a minute to see if it helped at all. After a few minutes, Roy opened his eyes and looked around at all of our worried faces.

“You guys look like I’m about to die.” He said.

The comment broke the tension and we all laughed.

“You’re lucky Oliver had some of that serum left and that this lair is as well stocked as a damn emergency room.” I said.

“I’m lucky I had you too.” He said.

I turned and walked over to Felicity’s desk and grabbed a notepad and pen. I wrote down instructions on changing Roy’s bandage and what he should do to regain strength in that shoulder. I added suggestions on rest and fluids for the Vertigo poisoning before ripping the sheet from the pad and handing it to Oliver.

“I’m going back to my hotel.” I said before grabbing my bag and keys and heading towards the elevator.

Oliver followed me up to my car where he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

“Emma, what’s going on with you?” He asked.

“Nothing. I’m fine.” I said, turning to get in my car.

“Emma, please talk to me. I want to help you.” He said, a touch of worry and frustration in his voice.

“There’s really nothing you can do to help, Oliver. I guess I’m just still affected by my breakup with Roy. I’ll get over it, just give me time.” I said.

“Em, it’s been eight years. There has to be something you’re not telling me about your relationship and breakup. It isn’t like you to not be able to bounce back super quickly.” Oliver said, frustration prominent in his blue eyes.

“I’m not ready to talk about it just yet.” I said.

Oliver nodded understandingly before letting go of my arm and opening the car door for me. I thanked him with a kiss on the cheek and a smile before getting in and heading back to my hotel. I sat on the bed for a while before remembering that Barry told me that Cisco and Caitlin wanted me to call them when I got settled in.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Caitlin. It’s Emma.” I said, sipping the coffee I bought on my way back from the lair.

“Hey, Emma! You’re on speaker with Cisco and Barry.” She said.

“Hi, Cisco. Hey, Barry. I miss you guys already.” I said, meaning it.

“We miss you too. It’s weird not having you here.” Cisco said.

“How’s Starling City been so far?” Barry asked.

“Eventful. Roy got shot with a Vertigo laced bullet and almost died. That was fun. And I went to dinner with Oliver, Felicity, and Thea and we went to some fancy ass restaurant but it was fun I guess.” I said.

“Wait, back up. Roy got shot? Is he okay?” Caitlin asked.

“He almost died but Oliver had some serum stuff that helped. I just gave him IV fluids and some adrenaline. He’ll be his same conceited asshole self in a few days.” I said.

“Well at least he’s alive.” Barry said, laughing.

“Hey, can I talk to Barry for a second?” I asked.

“Sure. We love you and miss you!” Caitlin said.

“I love and miss you all too.” I replied.

“What’s up?” Barry asked.

“Do you think I should tell Oliver?” I asked.

“Tell Oliver what?”

“The whole relationship and breakup story.”

“That’s completely up to you. Just be careful how you do it because I wouldn’t be surprised if Oliver put an arrow in Roy if he found out the whole story.” Barry warned.

“That’s what I’m afraid of. That’s one more injury I’d have to fix.” I joked.

“Do what you think is best for yourself. If you think telling Oliver will help you heal, then tell him.” Barry suggested.

“Thanks, Barry. I’ve got to get back to the lair and check on the pretentious asshole.” I said.

“Alright. Let me know what you decide to do.”

“I will. Bye, Barry.”

“Bye, Emma.”

I hung up and sent a quick text to Oliver asking him to meet me at Big Belly Burger. He replied saying he’d be there in 20 minutes. I grabbed my keys and a dark green hoodie and slid my feet into a pair of black flats. I got to Big Belly Burger at the same time as Oliver. We ordered and made small talk until our food arrived.

“So, what did you want to meet up here about that you couldn’t tell me in front of everyone at my campaign office?” Oliver asked, biting into a fry.

“I want to tell you the whole story about my relationship and breakup with Roy.”

"Seriously? I thought you said your weren't ready to talk about it." Oliver said, surprised.

"I wasn't ready. But I called Barry and he thinks it may help me heal a little if I tell you." I explained.

"Understandable."

"Well, here goes nothing." I said, taking a deep breath.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's most of the story about their relationship and breakup. Feel free to leave comments containing feedback and critiques!

“When I was a sophomore in high school, I met Roy. We were fifteen and idiots. We started hooking up and eventually we started dating. We dated for a year and things were going well. I was in love and I thought he was too. And then I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to keep it, Roy wanted me to get an abortion. He kept telling me he wasn’t ready to be a father. Luckily for him, he never had to be. I miscarried when I was only four months along. After that, Roy stayed with me for six months out of guilt and pity. I thought he stayed because he loved me and cared about me, but in reality, I was just his charity case. When I found out that he had been screwing my best friend since I found out I was pregnant, I broke up with him. It ended with him telling me I was a whore and a bitch and that he wished he never dated me in the first place. And that was it. I was devastated and I felt like my world was completely shattered. Not only had I lost the baby, but I lost the boy who I thought I was going to marry.”

I looked up at Oliver. He sat there, looking angry and surprisingly sad.

“Wow. I never knew. Is that why you left Starling for so long?” He asked.

“Yep. I left because everywhere I went reminded me of him and everything that I had lost.” I explained.

Oliver nodded understandingly before standing up.

“Where are you going?” I asked, panicked.

“To put an arrow in that boy.” He said nonchalantly.

“Oliver, don’t. Please. I’m begging you.” I pleaded, standing up and trying to push him back into his seat.

“Why are you defending him?” He asked, clearly angry.

“Because we were young and reckless. I am at just as much fault as Roy. We had a toxic relationship and I knew it. I didn’t leave even when I had the chance.”

Oliver just stared at me like I had grown two heads.

“Just please don’t put an arrow in him. At least let him heal a little first? I’ve only taken an arrow out of someone a couple times.” I said.

“Fine. I won’t shoot him. But if he ever hurts you again I will put an arrow in him so fast.” Oliver threatened.

I sighed in relief, knowing that Oliver would spare Roy for the time being. Just then, Oliver’s phone buzzed.

“They need us. Felicity got a lead on the Vertigo dealer from last night.” Oliver explained, pulling out a few bills and handing them to the waitress, telling her to keep the change.

We drove to the lair in silence. I felt like a massive load had been lifted off my shoulders. Barry was right. Telling Oliver was helping me heal. When we got back to the lair, Laurel and Thea were fighting Roy, who was trying to suit up.

“Get your ass back in that chair and don’t move until Emma has cleared you to GO HOME. If I catch you trying to suit up again until you have been medically cleared, I will not hesitate to put another arrow in your knee.” Oliver yelled to Roy.

Roy glared at him, but sat down in the indicated chair with a huff.

“We’ll watch him.” Felicity promised.

When the rest of the team left to go take down the Vertigo dealer, I busied myself with checking Roy’s vitals and changing the bandage on his shoulder before giving him a list of exercises to help him regain full range of motion. After I finished with Roy, I helped Felicity keep track of the security team that was defending the Vertigo dealer.

An hour or so later, the team returned, victorious. The Vertigo dealer was in police custody, and the whole team had gotten out with minor scrapes and scratches. I helped them clean their injuries and get the blood out of their outfits before deciding I needed some fresh air. Oliver followed me outside into the alley behind the campaign office.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Better. I feel like telling you everything has finally given my heart a chance to heal.” I replied.

“I think Roy has changed these past few years, Emma.” He said.

“I know he has, Oliver. The Roy that I knew would never be able to work on a team, taking down bad guys. He would be too busy getting girls and stealing women’s handbags.” I said.

“That’s actually how he met Thea.” Oliver said, chuckling.

“So I heard.” I replied.

“Emma, I have a question for you. However, before I ask it, I want you to know that should you say no, I won’t be offended in any way.” Oliver said.

“Okay…”

“Will you join the team? We could really use your skills and expertise.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” I said, laughing.

“Is that a yes?” Oliver asked, his expression hopeful.

“Yes, Oliver. That is a yes.”

“I’m glad you said yes.” Oliver said, shooting me a rare smile.

“It should make for an exciting stay.” I laughed.

“Are you ready to go back inside?” He asked.

I nodded and accepted his outstretched hand. When we got back down to the lair, Felicity was on the phone with someone from Palmer Tech while Laurel and Thea debated over the effectiveness of different weapons. Roy had fallen asleep on the hospital bed that was set up in the medical center.

“Hey, I was going to go grab some dinner. Does anyone want to come?” Oliver asked.

Felicity, Thea, and Laurel all said yes and started grabbing their stuff. Oliver looked at me, waiting for my answer.

“I think I’m going to stay here for a little while. I want to keep an eye on Roy.” I said.

Oliver looked at me skeptically before nodding and following the others into the elevator.

I sat in the chair next to Roy’s bed. I studied him silently. He looked so young and peaceful when he was sleeping. As I sat there, I remembered all the fun times we had had together before everything went wrong. He had really been an amazing boyfriend in the beginning. He took care of me when I was sick and planned the sweetest dates.

“I’m sorry.” Roy whispered, his eyes opening.

“For what?” I asked.

“Hurting you.” He whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

“Roy, you can’t just say sorry and expect everything to be okay between us.” I sighed.

“I know, but I figured it would at least be a start. I know that I have a lot of work to do before I even deserve the time of day from you. I promise I’ve changed, Emma. I want to prove that to you.” He said, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain, sorrow, regret, and a touch of determination.

“Roy, I know you’ve changed. The old you wouldn’t have joined Team Arrow or whatever you all call yourselves. It’s going to take awhile for me to be able to trust you again. I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to trust you completely again. I was crushed after everything we went through.”

“Will you at least let me try to make it up to you? Can we work towards being friends?” Roy asked.

“I promise to try and put the past behind us, but you have to do everything in your power to try not to hurt me again.” I said.

“I promise.” He said.

“Good. Now get some sleep. I’m going to see my parents.” I said.

Roy grabbed my hand as I turned to leave. I looked back at him to see what he wanted.

“Thank you.” He said quietly, looking my in the eyes.

“You’re welcome.”

I arrived home to an empty mansion. There were definitely benefits to growing up in a giant house. It was so obnoxiously large that it was easy to avoid my parents. We never had the best relationship, so I spent a lot of time in areas of the house that they rarely inhabited. That was how I hid my pregnancy and eventual miscarriage from them.

I decided to make dinner for my parents in an attempt to soften the blow of what I was going to tell them tonight. Telling Oliver my entire story had helped me to decide on finally telling my parents about my miscarriage. I felt like it was something they deserved to know.

I had just dumped the pasta in boiling water when my father walked in. He saw my standing at the stove and he came over to hug me.

“I didn’t know you were back in town.” He said, clearly surprised.

“Yeah, I came back yesterday. I wanted to see some old friends and do a couple things.” I said, stirring the pot of sauce that was starting to bubble.

“Well, it’s good to see you again. Dinner smells wonderful. I’ll be back in a moment. I just need to change.” He said, indicating his fancy work suit.

I nodded understandingly before turning back to the stove. A few moments later, my mom arrived home. She looked the exact same as I remembered her. Every single perfectly dyed blonde hair was in place and her blue-grey eyes were as piercing as ever.

“Hello, sweetheart. What brings you back home?” She asked, her high heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she came over and embraced me.

“I came back to see Oliver and some other friends.” I said.

“How sweet. Have you seen your father yet?” She asked.

“Yes. He got here a few minutes ago. He’s just getting changed before dinner.”

My mother decided to follow suit and went upstairs to change. They both came back down just as I was serving the pasta and chicken I had made to go along. We sat at one end of the long dining table, tucking into our meals without a word.

“Mom, Dad. I didn’t just come home to see Oliver. I also came back because there’s something I need to tell you. It happened before I left for college, but I’m just now ready to tell you about it.” I said.

Both of my parents set down their forks and looked at me, giving me their full attention. I took a deep breath and finally told them the secret I had been holding onto for over eight long years.

“When I was in high school, I got pregnant and had a miscarriage at 18 weeks.”

There was dead silence. Both of my parents were looking at me with wild eyes filled with disbelief and anger.

“You WHAT?” My mother screeched.

“How could you?” My dad yelled.

“It wasn’t exactly planned! I was going to tell you both that I was pregnant, but then I had the miscarriage and that was the end of it. I didn’t want to think about it anymore, let alone talk about it!” I exclaimed, trying to defend myself.

“Get out of this house.” My father said.  
“Mark, calm down.” My mother said, placing a hand on my father’s arm.

He shook her off and stood up from his chair. His face was red with anger.

“I said GET OUT!” He yelled.

“You criticize me for something like this, yet you go around screwing anything that moves! Do you really think you’re in a place to criticize people? How many hookers have you slept with?” I screamed.

My mother gasped and my father looked incredulous. I stood up and grabbed my keys and bag and left. I didn’t want to be a part of that family anymore. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my hands were shaking as I dialed Barry’s number.

“Hey, Emma. I’m in the middle of something, can I call you back?” He asked.

I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I started sobbing.

“Emma? What’s going on? Are you okay? Did something happen?” Barry asked, sounding incredibly worried.

“My-my-my pa-parent ki-ki-kicked me out.” I stuttered.

“Oh, Emma. Why?”

“I told them about my miscarriage.” I sobbed.

“Where are you?” He asked.

“In front of their house.”

“Just head back to the lair. I’ll be there soon.” He said.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to come.” I protested.

“Fine, but promise me you’ll go to Oliver or Felicity or Laurel or someone.” He insisted.

“I will.” I said.

“Okay. Hang in there. I love you.” He said.

“I love you too. Thanks, Barry.”

I hung up and got in my car. I started the engine and just started driving. I wasn’t sure where to go, but I wanted to be anywhere but near my parents.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment any critiques or suggestions you may have!

I had been driving around the city for an hour or so when my phone rang.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Emma, it’s Laurel. Could you come to the campaign office please?” She asked.

“Sure. I’ll be there in a minute. Is everything okay?” I asked, turning onto a side street that led towards the lair.

“Yep. See you soon.” She said, hanging up.

I parked and headed down into the lair. When I got there, I found everyone waiting for me.

“Barry called me and told me what happened.” Oliver said.

“Seriously? Dammit Barry.” I said, collapsing into one of the desk chairs.

“Why did they kick you out?” Felicity asked.

“I told them something I should have told them, and you all, a long time ago. When Roy and I were dating, I got pregnant. When I was only 18 weeks along, I miscarried. When I told my parents, my father freaked and kicked me out of the house.”

“He kicked you out over something that happened more than eight years ago?” Laurel asked.

I nodded. Felicity hugged me tightly and offered to let me stay with her and Oliver.

“No, that’s okay. I can just sleep here. I only rented my hotel room through today because I thought I could just stay at my parents’ but I guess plans change. I’ll be fine here.” I said.

“Are you sure? You can stay with me.” Laurel said.

“I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I think staying here would be my best option. Besides, I want to take inventory of everything you have in regards to medical equipment and I can keep an eye on Roy.” I said.

“You can always call any of us if you need something.” Oliver said, gripping my hand comfortingly.

“Thank you.” I whispered.  
He nodded before following Felicity and the others, minus Roy, to the elevator. After the doors had closed, I turned to Roy.

“I need to check your vitals and make sure your wound is healing correctly.” I said.

“Do we have to do that right now or can we talk first?” He asked.

“There’s nothing for us to talk about right now, Roy. I’m trying to put the past behind us and talking about it is not going to help.” I said, pushing his onto the hospital bed and grabbing my stethoscope.

I ran a few tests on Roy before ordering him to get some rest. After a few hours, he still wasn’t asleep due to the pain in his shoulder from the gunshot, so I gave him a light sedative.

While Roy slept, I inventoried everything that was in the lair in regards to medicines and medical equipment. Once I was done with that, I sat in the chair next to Roy’s bed and just stared at him. I knew I was being creepy, but I didn’t care. He had changed since I left all those years ago. He was bigger, stronger, and in a way, kinder. He had laugh lines that hadn’t been there when we were dating, and he seemed to have a happier spirit.

All at once, every single emotion I had ever felt towards the sleeping man returned in full force. Love, lust, anger, pain, blind rage, and ultimately, pure sadness rushed through my body. I felt the hot tears run down my face as the memories overwhelmed me.

“Hey.” A soft, familiar voice said behind me.

I turned and saw Barry.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised.

“Chasing after a metahuman who decided to seek refuge near here. Joe, Eddie, and Cisco are taking him back to Central City now, but I thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing. Oliver told me you were here. Wait. Have you been crying?” He asked, noticing the wet trails that ran down my cheeks.

I wiped away the remaining tears and shook my head.

“No, I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed.” I said.

Barry pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. I let my tears flow again, wetting his navy blue jacket. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything. Barry just stood there and held me for what seemed like forever. Finally, I pulled away.

“Thank you. I needed that.” I said.

“Anytime.” He replied with a small smile.

Barry pulled up a chair next to mine and settled in. We talked for the next hour or so about anything and everything.

“What are you going to do while you’re here?” Barry asked.

“I’m not entirely sure. Oliver asked me to join the team and I said yes, so I guess that will take up a lot of my time. I may try and help out at the hospital sometimes. I just wanted to come back and see everyone again. As much as I enjoy taking down metahumans with you and everyone, I needed a break.” I explained.

“Yeah, I can understand that. It does get a little tiring sometimes.” Barry said.

“Barry, what’s the main thing you’ve learned since becoming The Flash?” I asked suddenly.

“I’ve learned a lot of things, Emma. I guess the biggest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself and do what I know is right at the end of the day. Sometimes it’s hard to be a superhero. It isn’t all super speed and saving cute girls. It’s a lot of hard work and getting hurt. But at the end of the day, it’s worth it. At the end of the day, I made it so that someone can go back to their family and I protected my city from someone who wanted to destroy it.”

“I’m a little scared I won’t be able to be the kind of person this team needs, Barry. I mean, I can definitely be the doctor and help Felicity with some computer stuff and I know how to fight from what you and Joe have taught me, but I’m no superhero.” I said, running my hands through my hair.

“Then don’t try to be a superhero. Be Emma Maxwell. That’s what this team needs, Em. They don’t need another person who can shoot arrows or who excels in combat, they need a real doctor, an assistant who can cover any holes, they need a friend they can talk to. Right now, they don’t have anyone like you. Team Arrow needs you just as much as they need any of the other members, including Oliver.” Barry said.

“Thank you, Barry.” I said, hugging him tightly for a moment.

“You’re welcome. I have to get back to Central City, but I’ll come visit you soon.” Barry said, kissing my forehead gently.

I watched him get in the elevator before I turned back to Roy. He was still sleeping soundly, despite Barry’s and my conversation. I sat down in the same chair I had been crying in earlier and thought back on the time Roy and I had together.


	7. Chapter 7

“Emma, you have to be at work early tomorrow. You need to go home and get some rest.” Barry said.

“I know. Just give me five more minutes with him.” I said.

“I’ll be just over there. Come find me when you’re done.” He said, kissing the top of my head gently before leaving me alone.

I knelt down on the grass in front of the small grave.

“Mommy misses you, my sweet boy. I hope you know how very much you are loved. I’m so sorry you never got the chance to live.” I whispered, placing my hand on the headstone engraved with the words “Noah Harper-Maxwell”

“Emma, wake up!”

I sat up with a start, breaking free of the dream. I looked around and saw Oliver standing next to me. Roy was still asleep on the bed in front of me.

“Hey. Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just figured you’d want to be awake before noon.” He said, handing me a cup of coffee.

“Oops. Sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep so late.” I said, taking a sip of the hot drink.

“It’s fine. What are you planning on doing today?” He asked, walking over to the computers and sitting in one of the rolling chairs.

“I was going to stop by the hospital and see if there’s any open positions that I can fill while I’m here. After that I was probably just going to find a gym so I can workout.” I said.

“You can always workout here. There’s plenty of equipment.” Oliver offered.

“I may take you up on that offer later, but for now, I want somewhere with natural light.” I joked.

The elevator doors opened and Laurel, Thea, and Diggle joined in our conversation. A little while later, Roy woke up and joined in. After a fair amount of time, I slipped away from the conversation and drove to the hospital. I met an old friend I went to med school with in the cafeteria and she gave a list of job openings that I could fill during the time I was in Star City.

Eventually, I agreed to help run the Emergency Room and act as a general surgery resident when needed. It felt good to be back in scrubs and the white doctor’s coat. I helped stitch up a few patients and got to know the staff for a few hours before deciding it was time to go to the gym.

After a good long workout, I headed back to the campaign office. I took the elevator down into the lair and found Oliver, Thea, Laurel, and Diggle all suiting up to go take down a group of people who were stealing chemicals to make a bomb. Oliver was yelling at Roy to sit down until I cleared him.

“Ollie, calm down. Let me check his vitals really fast and if everything’s normal, he’s good to go.” I said, placing a hand on Oliver’s bare shoulder.

He nodded and went back to getting dressed. I grabbed Roy’s hand and dragged him over to the bed. He sat on the edge as I checked his vitals and ran a quick range of motion test on his shoulder.

“It looks like you’re in good condition. Just don’t push yourself too hard.” I said.

Roy gave me a smile and quick hand squeeze before racing to suit up. I helped Felicity hack into the security camera feed from the building across the street from where the team would stop the robbery.

“You and Roy seem to be getting on a little better than you were when you first got here.” Felicity commented as we waited for the team to get where they were going.

“We talked and had a little heart-to-heart. It helped both of us heal a little I think.” I explained.

She nodded understandingly before turning her attention back to the computer screens. We watched as the team fought and Felicity occasionally warned a member of a person behind them. It was a relatively easy fight for the team and the robbers were in police custody in no time.

“I’m going to go visit Noah’s grave. I haven’t been there in a long time.” I said, changing from my workout clothes into a navy blue maxi dress.

“Who’s Noah?” Felicity asked as I changed.

“My son. I buried him in a cemetery a few miles outside of the city after I miscarried him.” I said, pulling on my jacket.

“Roy visits that cemetery sometimes. He mentioned the name Noah once.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised.

Felicity nodded. I grabbed my purse and keys and headed up to my car. I ran into the team as I was getting into the driver’s seat.

“Where are you headed off to?” Oliver asked.

“I was going to go visit my son’s grave.” I said.

“If you give me a minute to change, I’ll come with you.” Roy said.

“Sure. I’ll wait here.” I said.

Oliver gave me a quick hand squeeze before disappearing into the campaign office along with the rest of the team. Roy reappeared a few minutes later, dressed in khaki dress pants with a light blue dress shirt. He slid into the passenger seat and I started the car.

We drove to the cemetery in silence. We stopped on the way to pick up some flowers and a few blue balloons. When we arrived, I parked the car and grabbed the flowers from the backseat. Roy took the balloons before gently taking my free hand and intertwining our fingers. I didn’t object. I needed his strength right now and the feeling of holding his hand gave me a sense of comfort that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Felicity said you come here sometimes.” I said quietly as we walked towards our son’s grave.

“Yeah. I stop by when I have time. It gives me a feeling of peace to just sit with him.” He said.

We stopped in front of the small grave. I brushed some dirt off the headstone and propped the flowers up against it. Roy tied the balloons to a rock and placed it on the other side. We stood there for a long while, holding hands in silence.

“I wish this wasn’t the only way we could see him.” Roy whispered.

“I know. Me too.” I whispered back, tears spilling from my eyes.

He pulled me into a hug as I pressed my face into his neck, unable to stop the tears that ran down my cheeks. I felt the wetness of Roy’s tears against my shoulder and I held him even tighter. We held each other for a while, just standing there, letting out all of the pain and sadness we had kept bottled up for all those years. It was in that moment that I finally felt my heart begin to heal.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment any criticism or feedback you may have. Thank you for reading!

“When was the last time you were here?” Roy asked after we had let go of each other.

“I came by on his birthday last year. I try to stop by every couple months.” I said, taking his hand in mine again.

“I’m glad you decided to come back to Star City for awhile.” Roy said.

“Me too. Ever since I left here, I’ve had this void in my heart. I always thought it was because of Noah, but I never realized it was more than that. It was you, Oliver, Laurel, Thea, Diggle, and everyone else I care about. My whole life had been created with all of you in it.”

“For weeks after we lost Noah, I cried for hours on end. I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat, I could barely hold down water. I couldn’t even imagine what you were going through. I tried to hold it together around you, but seeing you so broken killed me. I turned to other things to try and dull the pain, but nothing worked. The only time I felt even partially whole was when I was with you.” Roy said, his eyes filled with regret and sadness.

“Roy, I felt the same way whenever I was with you. Up until I found out you were screwing my best friend, you were my anchor.” I said.

“Words can’t even describe how sorry I am for doing that to you. The memory makes me cringe even to this day.” Roy said, looking away from me in shame.

I put my hands on either side of his face and turned his head so that he was looking me in the eyes.

“Roy, I’ve forgiven you for that. We were young and foolish. We made mistakes. You need to forgive yourself. Move past your mistakes, don’t dwell on them.”

I pressed my lips to Roy’s cheek and softly kissed away the single tear that had escaped from his bright emerald eyes. As I pulled away, I noticed that the sun was just beginning to lower towards the horizon.

“We should get going soon.” I said.

“Can we just sit and talk to Noah for a little bit?” Roy requested.

“Of course.” I replied, sitting against the base of the tree that grew right next to Noah’s grave.

Roy sat beside me and pulled me close so that I was tucked into his side.

“Hello, my sweet Noah. I’m sorry it’s been so long since Mommy came to visit you.” I said.

“Daddy misses you so much. I’m so sorry that I never got the chance to teach you how to ride a bike or tie your shoe or even how to walk. I wish that I had appreciated you more when you were in your mommy’s tummy. I will always love you, even though you never got to take your first breath.”

As Roy spoke to Noah, I shifted positions so that I was lying sideways with my head in Roy’s lap. He ran his fingers through my wavy brown hair and smiled softly down at me.

“You’re a good dad.” I said after Roy finished talking to Noah.

“You’re an even better mom.” He replied, kissing my forehead gently.

“I feel like even though we never got the chance to raise our son, we’re still parents.” I said.

“I think so too.” He replied.

We sat in silence for a little while, just enjoying each other’s company and thinking about what it would have been like if Noah were here with us. Eventually, we decided it was time to head back to the lair.

“Thank you for coming with me and for visiting Noah while I was gone.” I said as we drove away from the cemetery.

“We should do this every so often. I think it would be good for both of us and I’m sure Noah would appreciate it.” He replied.

I nodded in agreement. When we reached the lair, everyone had already left to go get dinner and shower. Roy and I sat in the chairs by the computers. We talked for a while about the things Roy had done since I left Starling. After a bit, Roy left to pick us up dinner from Big Belly Burger.

“Hey, where’s Roy?” Oliver said behind me, making me jump.

“Freaking hell, Oliver. I didn’t hear you come in.” I said, smacking his arm.

“Sorry. Where’s Roy?” He asked again.

“He went to Big Belly Burger to get dinner for him and I. Is everything okay?” I asked, concerned.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t kill him yet.” Oliver joked.

“Very funny, Oliver.” I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

He smiled at me before walking over to one of the tables covered with arrows and started organizing things. Roy came back a few minutes later, his arms full of food.

“Hey, Oliver. What’s up?” He asked, handing me my food before starting in on his.

“Nothing. I just needed something to do.” Oliver replied, moving over to the computers and typing in something.

Suddenly, there was a beeping from the computer. I spun around in the chair and checked what the alarm was for.

“Well, here’s something for you to do. The tracker that you placed on that shady realtor just came online. He’s in a restaurant in the Glades. Give me a second and I’ll hack the security cameras to see if he has any guards with him.” I said, typing quickly.

Oliver started suiting up as I hacked. When I got in a minute later, I saw that there was a whole swarm of security all over the restaurant. I called the rest of the team and told them to get here as soon as they possibly could.

“Roy, do you want to come or do you want to stay here with Emma? This is going to be a dangerous one.” Oliver asked as he slipped on his mask.

“I’ll go with you. Felicity can stay here with Emma.” Roy said, kissing my forehead gently before rushing to suit up.

Everyone arrived a few moments later and got dressed and ready to go in a matter of minutes. Felicity and I were working on the computers, making sure we had an accurate count of the amount of potential attackers and what they were armed with.

“Will you be okay here with Felicity?” Roy asked, strapping on his quiver.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Be safe.” I said.

“Everything will be fine, Emma.” Roy said.

“If you get shot again, I’m going to shoot you myself.” I said, placing my forehead against his.

Roy laughed and kissed my cheek. In a rush of emotion and fear for Roy’s life, I pressed my lips to his in a surprising kiss. He kissed me back immediately and all of my anxiety melted away. In that moment, I felt safe and warm. In that moment, I knew everything would be okay.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment! Thank you for reading.

“Well that was unexpected.” Felicity commented as Roy and I broke apart.

We all laughed and Roy pecked my lips again before racing out with the others. Felicity and I kept tabs on all of the team members and the people they would be fighting.

“You and Roy certainly seem to be on a much better level than when you first came back.” Felicity commented as she type something on her computer.

“Yeah. Visiting Noah’s grave really helped both of us and allowed us to heal and move past everything that had happened previously between us. We realized how much we really need each other I guess.”

“I’m happy for you. Both of you deserve someone who loves and cares about you.” Felicity said, smiling at me.

“Thank you.” I replied, smiling back at her.

We both turned our attention back to the computer screens as the team arrived at the restaurant. As the team fought, Felicity and I talked to them through their earpieces and kept them updated on where the rest of the security and the main target were located. Just as they had finished taking down most of the security team, a rogue gunman attacked Oliver.

“Oliver’s down! Dig has him for now, but you’re going to need to set up some stuff, Doctor.” Laurel said.

“We really need to come up with a codename for you.” Felicity said as I ran to get things set up.

After a couple more agonizing minutes of fighting, the team successfully took down the sleazy realtor and his goons. The police arrived on scene to find him pinned to the wall with two arrows, babbling about how he’d been breaking laws and selling houses with clear code violations.

“Is Oliver shot or just beat up?” I asked.

“Both. Bullet grazed his arm but didn’t go in too deep. Possible broken ribs too.” Thea reported.

“You need to get an x-ray machine down here.” I said, grabbing wraps for Oliver’s ribs.

“I’ve been telling them that for years.” Felicity said, not looking up from the computer.

I continued to gather things to treat Oliver while Felicity talked to them through their earpieces. After a while, she rolled away from the computers and took a deep breath.

“Did they get him?” I asked, suddenly worried.

“Yeah, they got him. They’re on their way back now.” She said.

A few minutes later, the team came in. Oliver looked a little weak, but stable. The rest of the team had made it through with nothing more than a few bruises and scrapes.

I began to examine Oliver as everyone changed into the clothes they had been wearing before they got called out.

“From what I can tell, you fractured two ribs. Nothing seems to have gotten punctured though, so that’s good. Let me just stitch up your arm and you’ll be good to go.” I said, grabbing a stitching kit and some extra gauze.

As I stitched him up, Oliver talked to Felicity about some kind of business meeting she had to go to later in the week.

“All done. I’ll take them out in a few days.” I said.

“He’ll probably take them out himself in a day and a half tops.” Roy said, laughing.

“If you do so much as look at those stitches, I will hurt you.” I said.

Everyone laughed. I looked at them, wondering why they were laughing.

“I’m being serious.” I said, looking Oliver straight in the eye.

“Emma, even we can barely land a punch on Oliver.” Laurel said, laughing.

I surprised everyone, including Oliver, by flipping Star City’s famous vigilante right on his butt. The air left Oliver in a silent “woosh” as he landed hard on his back. Everyone stared at me with mouths open in surprise.  
“How did you do that?” Thea asked.

“Joe and Barry have taught me a lot. Plus I occasionally have to wrestle a violent patient at the hospital.” I explained.

“In my defense, I wasn’t expecting my doctor to do anything to hurt me.” Oliver joked, pulling himself onto his feet.

“I’m your friend too. Not just your doctor.” I reminded him.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I promise I won’t take my stitches out by myself.” Oliver said, kissing my forehead.

As I cleaned up the blood-soaked gauze and tossed everything in the nearby trash bin, Oliver got changed and everyone else went out to grab coffee and a bite to eat.

“Emma, may I ask you a question?” Oliver asked as I finished tidying up the medical area.

“Sure. What’s up, Ollie?” I asked, sitting in a chair and turning to face him.

“Why did you learn how to fight in the first place?” He asked, leaning against the table next to me.

“Ollie, I already told you. I helped Barry fight metahumans. It’s not a big deal.” I said, turning around so he wouldn’t see me flinch at how bad the lie was.

“He walked over and knelt in front of me, putting his fingers under my chin and forcing me to look at him.

“Emma, you’re like a sister to me. I know when you’re lying.” He said, looking me in the eyes.

I sighed and pulled away. I spun towards one of the computers, which Felicity had deemed mine earlier in the day. I pulled up Central City Police Records on a man named Samuel Braxton. I gestured for Oliver to read the report.

“Why do I need to know about this guy?” Oliver asked.

“Just read it, Oliver.” I said.

As Oliver read, I sat calmly in my chair, working over a way to explain everything to Oliver without anyone getting hurt.

“Emma, this guy sounds dangerous. He beat up his girlfriend and almost killed her. She’s lucky she got away. It’s a good thing he’s in jail.” Oliver said, turning to face me.

“I know what he did, Oliver. And I know who he did it to.” I said, trying to keep myself calm so that I didn’t start crying.

“Whom did he do these things to?” He asked, concerned.

I took a deep breath and looked Oliver in the eyes.

“Me, Oliver. He did those things to me.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think of Emma's codename!

Oliver stared at me for a minute, his mouth open in disbelief and pure anger. I could tell that he was upset that I hadn’t told him before.

“Before you ask why I never told you, I want you to know that I kicked his ass and he’s in jail now.” I said, looking Oliver in the eyes.

“Emma, I could have helped you.” He said.

“Ollie, look at the date on the police report.”

“Oh.” He said.

“Exactly. You weren’t exactly in Star City when this all happened. You were on the island.”

“I’m sorry.” He said, looking at me with regret-filled eyes.

“Oliver, it’s not your fault. Samuel was an alcoholic with a lot of pent-up rage. He took it out on me and I let him. Finally after a few months and a handful of hospital visits, I tried to break up with him. When he wouldn’t leave me alone, I went to some self-defense classes and I asked Joe to teach me how to fight. After I felt confident enough in my skills, I broke up with Samuel. When the inevitable fight came, I kicked his ass and delivered him to the police station. He’s been in Iron Heights since.”

“He put you in the hospital? What the hell did he do to you?” Oliver asked, anger prominent in his usually calm features.

“He did a lot of things, Ollie. He would punch me, kick me, and slap me. A few times he threw things at me or tried to at least. Usually he was too drunk to aim well enough to hit me.”

Oliver shook his head and pulled me into a hug. I sighed and hugged him back. Ollie had always been like a brother to me. In fact, we had a stronger relationship than most siblings.

“It’s a good thing you’re strong.” He said, letting me go.

“Thanks, Ollie.” I said, smiling softly at him.

He turned around and grabbed a box wrapped in dark blue paper with a gold bow. He handed me the package and gestured for me to open it.

“A ridiculously fast friend of ours made it for you upon my request.” He said as I tore off the paper to reveal a smooth wooden box.

I lifted the lid to reveal a midnight blue mask, just like the ones Oliver, Laurel, Roy, and Thea had. I looked up at Oliver, shocked and slightly confused.

“I know you aren’t out on the streets with us right now, but there may be times when I need you. Only if you feel like it though.” He said.

“I don’t know what to say. I love it. And I would love to hit the streets with you and the team. I just would need a little training first. I can shoot a bow, but not as well as you can.”

“Your suit should be done soon. In the meantime, I came up with a codename for you.” Oliver said, taking the mask from my hand and pointing to something on the strap.

Inscribed on the deep blue fabric were the words “Midnight Medic” in shimmering gold.

“I love it.” I said, hugging Oliver.

“Cisco may have helped a little.”

I laughed and tried on the mask. It fit perfectly and I could see clearly even when moving around.

“It’s perfect.” I said.

“I’m glad you like it. I even installed a new dummy for your outfit when it’s finished.” Oliver said, leading me over to everyone else’s suits and showing me a new compartment right next to Roy’s Arsenal suit.

“Thank you so much for everything, Ollie. I really appreciate it.” I said, smiling gratefully at him.

“You’re welcome.” He replied, squeezing my hand gently.

While Oliver worked on something upstairs in the campaign office, I decided to call Iris.

“Hello?” She answered.

“Hey, Iris. It’s Emma.” I said.

“Hey, Ems! I miss you so much!” She exclaimed.

“I miss you too. How are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m doing really well. We’ve all been incredibly busy at S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco is working on some tech to help defeat our newest metahuman. How’s Star City?” She asked.

“It’s great here. I’ve been hanging out with Oliver and the team and working at the hospital. I miss Central City though.”

“We miss you here. Hang on, Cisco wants to talk to you.” She said.

“Okay. Bye, Iris. Love you.” I said.

“Love you more.” She replied.

I heard her pass the phone of, mumbling something about how pushy Cisco was being.

“Hey, Midnight Medic.” Cisco said.

“Hey, Vibe.” I replied, laughing.

“I have a quick question about your suit. Do you want a hood?” He asked.

“A hood would be great. Thank you so much for making this for me, Cisco. It really means a lot.” I said.

“I love making suits and helping out Oliver. I have to go, but I’ll see you when I come drop off your suit. I want to ask Felicity about some computer stuff. See you soon, Ems!” He said.

I said goodbye and thanked him again before hanging up and tucking my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. A few minutes later, Roy came down into the lair with two cups of coffee. He handed me one of them before taking a sip of his.

“What have you been up to this morning?” He asked.

“Not much. Just talking to Oliver about some stuff.” I replied.

“Anything important?” Roy inquired, clearly curious.

“I’ll tell you about it later. What are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?”

“I’m not really sure. I don’t have anything planned.” He replied.

“”Do you want to go on a walk around the city with me?”

“Sure, Emma. I would love to go on a walk with you.” Roy said, smiling at me.

“Great. Just let me find my shoes.” I said.

“I forgot how much you hate shoes and socks.” He laughed, handing me the pair of black flats I had tucked under the desk.

I slid them on before following him to the elevator. We rode up and silence. Oliver waved us over when we got to the ground level of the campaign office.

“Where are you two headed?” He asked, signing a few papers and tucking them into a folder.

“Roy and I were just going to go for a walk around the city. I want to see how things have changed in the past few years. Call us if you need anything.” I said.

“Have fun. Roy, protect her.” Oliver said, looking Roy in the eyes.

“I think she can take care of herself, but I’ll make sure she’s okay.” Roy replied, not flinching under Oliver’s stern gaze.

“Ollie, we’ll be fine. Let us know if anything comes up.” I said, grabbing Roy’s arm and pulling him out of the office.

Roy opened the front door of the office for me and we started down the street. We talked as we walked, just catching up on what we had been doing over the past eight years. It felt good to just talk to Roy.

We stopped at a park bench and sat down to rest for a moment. We were a few miles away from the lair and the sun was out and shining bright.

“Emma, there’s something I need to tell you.” Roy said, turning to look at me.

“What’s up?” I asked, slightly worried by the nervous look in Roy’s eyes.

“I didn’t realize it until we kissed. I guess I never really got over you as well as I thought I had.” He started.

“Roy, what are you saying?” I asked, my heart racing.

“Emma, I still love you.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave any comments our critiques you may have! Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I sat there next to Roy, completely frozen. I wasn’t sure how to react. Did I still love Roy? What would happen if I told him I still love him too? Do I really still love him?

“Emma, are you okay? You look pale.” Roy said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m fine. I don’t know what to say. I’m still trying to figure out which of my emotions are real and which are just resurfacing from eight years ago. Don’t get me wrong. I really like you, Roy. I just don’t know if I can tell you I love you yet.” I said, searching Roy’s eyes in an attempt to read what he was thinking.

“I understand.” He said.

“I’m willing to give you a chance to make me fall in love with you again, though.” I said, biting my lip nervously.

“You would go on a date with me?” He asked, bewildered.

I nodded. He smiled and took my hand in his.

“Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?” He asked, looking at me with eager, bright green eyes.

“I would love to.”

“Perfect.”

We walked around more, meandering around the park and the trails that ran through the woods behind it. As we walked, we talked. We talked about our lives, our hopes and dreams, and even about the eight years we had been apart. I told Roy all about my time in medical school and he told me about his life of crime.

“I still can’t believe that you and Thea met because you stole her handbag.” I said, laughing as I let the sun kiss my face through a break in the trees.

“I’m glad I did it though. I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t.” He pointed out with a grin.

We continued our journey to a coffee shop near the park. We both sat down after receiving our drinks and continued our conversation. After awhile, we had both finished our drinks and were getting up to go walk around some more.

Just then, both of our phones beeped with a text message. We both grabbed our phones and read the messages.

“It’s Oliver. They need us back at the lair.” Roy said.

“I got the same message. Let’s go.”

We hailed a taxi and took it to a café a block away from the campaign office. We jogged to the office and made our way down into the lair. When we arrived, everything was in utter chaos. Roy and I stood there for a second, confused.

“What the hell is going on?” Roy yelled after a minute.

“Laurel was kidnapped by the father of someone she put in prison. His name is Greg Martin. He’s holding her in an abandoned warehouse about a mile outside of town. He called a minute ago and started beating up Laurel while we listened. We need you to come with us, Emma. She may be seriously hurt. ” Oliver said, slipping on his mask. 

“Fine, just let me change out of this dress really fast.” I said.

“Your suit is over there. Go put it on then I’ll give you your weapons and supplies.” He said, pointing towards my dummy, which now held my suit.

My suit was perfect. It was similar to the ones Roy and Thea had except mine was midnight blue up top and faded to purple and then black. I suited up and slid grabbed my mask out of my bag. Oliver handed me a gun, which went in a holster that was attached to my right upper thigh. He then filled a midnight blue quiver with matching arrows and handed it to me along with a matching blue bow.

“These are amazing. Thank you, Oliver.” I said.

“One more thing. Your quiver is a little bit bigger than the rest of ours because it has built in compartments for medical supplies. I already stocked it.” He said, indicating the hidden compartments.

“This is beautiful, Ollie. Thank you so much.” I said, slinging my new quiver across my back and grabbed an extra clip of bullets from the table.

“Everyone ready?” Roy asked.

Everyone nodded. Roy gripped my hand and we followed Oliver out to a van. We all loaded in and headed toward the place where Laurel was being held. As Diggle drove, we all worked out an attack plan to get Laurel out. Roy and Oliver would engage Martin, while I got Laurel to the van.

“Emma, are you ready?” Oliver asked, looking towards me, his eyes searching mine for any inhibitions.

“I’m ready.” I said, firmly.

He nodded and turned back to Diggle. We arrived a few minutes later. Oliver and Roy jumped out, followed by me. I kept pace with them up until we arrived at the barn door. I stayed back as they went in. I could hear them fighting Martin, so I headed in.

Upon entering the warehouse, I found Oliver and Roy tag-teaming Greg Martin while Laurel struggled against the ropes that bound her to something that looked like a bomb. I made my way over to her and removed her gag.

“If I take you off of this chair, is something going to explode?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so. He didn’t get the chance to set up a trip wire before you all showed up.” She replied, as I took in all of her cuts and bruises.

I carefully maneuvered around the bomb and cut the ropes that tied her hands together. She rubbed her wrists and thanked me, before grabbing her weapons from a nearby table and strapping them back around her waist and legs before starting to head towards the fight.

“Laurel, stop.” I said, gripping her arm and pulling her back.

“Why? He kidnapped me. I need to fight him.” She said, trying to pull away from my grasp.

“I understand that, but you have cuts and bruises that need to be treated. Besides, Oliver and Roy have it under control.” I said.

She finally gave in and followed me out to the van. I began treating her deepest cuts with the supplies stashed in my quiver while Oliver and Roy notified the police of Greg Martin’s crimes.

“Is Laurel good to travel?” Oliver asked, hopping into the van.

“She’s fine. Just one more stitch and we’re good to go.” I said, finishing the last stitch in her forearm and tying a knot before cutting the thread.

I told Oliver that we were all clear and we drove away, leaving Greg Martin tied up to a chair in the warehouse, a signed statement declaring his guilty plea pinned to his jacket with a green-tipped arrow.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave any comments or critiques. Enjoy!

When we got back to the lair, I immediately set Laurel up in the medical center with a painkiller drip through an IV. While she rested, I ran a quick checkup on Oliver and Roy. Both of them had made it out without so much as a scratch.

“What are you all up to for the evening? Lyla wants to have you all over for dinner sometime soon.” Diggle said, looking around at all of us.

“I actually have some stuff to do tonight, but tomorrow would work for me.” I said.

“Tomorrow works best for me too.” Roy said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

“Alright then. I’ll let Lyla know. She’ll be very excited to see you again, Emma.” Diggle said, smiling at me.

I smiled back at him before turning back to Laurel. I removed her IV and taped a bandage in place over her stitches before turning her loose with instructions to get some rest. After she left with Thea, who had firm instructions from Oliver to keep an eye on her, the rest of us went about our lives as if everything that had happened today was a completely ordinary Wednesday for every normal person.

“I’m going to head out to the hospital for a few hours. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” I said, slipping on my jacket.

“Hey, hold up. Can we talk for a minute?” Roy asked, setting down the arrowhead he had been messing with.

“Sure. What’s going on?” I asked.

“Earlier you mentioned that you were talking to Oliver about something. What was it?” He asked, his eyes a mix of curiousness and concern.

I glanced over at Oliver, hoping that he would help me figure out a way to tell Roy without things blowing up in my face. He looked at me and nodded, indicating that it was in my best interest to tell Roy. I turned back and faced Roy.

“Emma, what’s going on?” Roy asked.

“Roy, I need you to promise me that you won’t freak out if I tell you what I told Ollie.” I said, looking him in the eyes, silently pleading with him.

“I promise.” he said, sitting down in one of the rolling chairs.

“When I was in Central City, I had a boyfriend named Samuel Braxton. At first things were great. Then he hit me for the first time. When I threatened to leave him, he told me he was sorry and that he would spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to me. Unfortunately, he isn’t exactly the most honest man. The heavier his drinking became, the more frequent the beatings. I got Joe and Iris and Barry to teach me some self-defense stuff and I used what I had learned to deliver him to the police.”

Roy just sat there, staring at me for a minute. His expression was unreadable, which made me insanely nervous. The longer he sat there without saying anything, the more and more worried I got.

“Roy?” Oliver prompted.

“I need some air.” Roy finally said, standing up and grabbing his jacket before disappearing into the elevator.

I sat frozen for a minute before turning to Oliver, my bottom lip quivering uncontrollablely.

“Ollie, I didn’t…”

“Shhhh. It’s okay.” Oliver said, pulling me into his arms and holding me tightly.

I sobbed into his chest, losing hold on all of the emotions I had bottled up when it came to Samuel. After my tears stopped flowing, I pulled away and picked up my bow and arrow. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned back to Oliver.

“Emma, I don’t think you should be shooting when you’re this upset.” he said, his blue eyes clouded with concern.

“Ollie, I need to blow off some steam. Can you go check on Roy for me? I just need a minute.” I said, stalking over to one of the targets and firing an arrow directly into the center of the bullseye.

Oliver quietly left to see how Roy was doing, while I fired off an entire quiver of arrows into an array of targets around the room. After I had finished that, I changed into a pair of yoga pants and a workout tank top and started practicing my hand-to-hand combat of some of the equipment that was placed around the lair. By the time I finished, it had been nearly two hours. I was drenched in sweat and my hands were bloody from punching so much.

“You’re a hot mess.” I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned and saw Laurel standing there in a form-fitting red dress with a black blazer. I wiped the seat from my forehead with a nearby towel and took a swig of water.

“What has you all worked up?” she asked, walking over and helping me put ointment on the cuts on my arms and hands.

“I told Roy about my abusive ex boyfriend.” I said calmly.

“I heard about him. Samuel Braxton, right?”

“How did you know?” I asked, looking at her in surprise.

“I work in the District Attorney’s Office, Ems. I gave advice to your lawyer on how to get Braxton behind bars.” Laurel explained.

The elevator opened and Oliver entered the room, followed by a very frustrated looking Roy Harper. I decided to give him some time to process everything, so I went to Felicity and Oliver’s loft to take a shower.

“Hey.” Felicity said, gently knocking on the door as I finished pulling on a pair of dark wash jeans and my favorite STAR Labs sweatshirt that used to belong to Barry.

 

“Hey.” I replied, tossing my towel in the hamper.

“How are you holding up? Oliver told me everything.” she said.

“I just wish I could un-tell Roy. I never wanted to make him upset.” I said.

“Emma, he needed to know. He’s upset because he cares about you and he doesn’t want you to be hurt. And knowing Roy, he’s mad at himself for not being there to protect you.”

“That’s stupid! There was no way for him to protect me. He was here and I was in Central City. Besides, I didn’t even tell Barry. Why on earth would I tell my ex that my boyfriend at the time was abusing me?” I said, beginning to get frustrated.

Felicity pulled me into a hug without saying a word. After a few moments, she let me go and picked up my phone from the dresser. She tapped the screen a few times before handing it to me. When I looked at the screen, I saw that she had pulled up Roy’s contact.

“Call him. Tell him what you just told me. He loves you, Emma. You have to let people care about you.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please feel free to leave comments and critiques!

Felicity left me alone in the room. I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide if it would be a good idea for me to go see Roy instead of calling him. Eventually I decided it would be best to have this conversation face-to-face.

“Did you call him?” Felicity asked as I entered the living area.

“No. I was going to go see him and talk about this in person. I figured it would be the right thing to do.” I replied, lacing up my beat-up pair of white Converse.

“Emma, go easy on him. He really cares about you.” she said, hugging me tightly for a moment.

“Thank you, Felicity.”

“You’re welcome, Emma.”

I sat in my car for a few minutes, just thinking about what I was going to say to Roy. I knew deep down that I hadn’t done anything wrong and that the only person Roy was truly mad at was himself, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had done something to hurt Roy.

I finally worked up the courage to head back to the lair, in hopes of finding Roy. When I got there, I found Oliver instead.

“Have you seen Roy?” I asked, sitting down in my favorite rolling chair.

“He just stepped out for a few minutes. He should be back any time now.” Oliver replied, sorting through some paperwork.

While I waited for Roy to come back, I turned to the computer and pulled up Samuel’s old police files. I read through them for probably the hundredth time since I had turned him in. It hurt a little to read back through all of the things that had happened to me over the course of our relationship.

I was so immersed in my own little world that I didn’t hear Roy come up behind me.

“Hey.” he said quietly, sitting next to me on the desk.

I jumped, surprised by his sudden appearance.

“Hello.” I replied, regaining my composure as quickly as I could.

He gave me a shy smile before pulling over the chair that Oliver had previously occupied before he left to tend to mayoral business.

“Roy, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I said, fighting back tears.

“You didn’t hurt me, Emma. I was just frustrated and upset because I wanted to be able to help you.” Roy explained.

“As much as I love how much you care about people, you can’t always save me. I’m a big girl, Roy.”

“I know you are, Emma. I just worry about you. Finding out that someone I cared about was being hurt by the one person who was supposed to be in love with you, reminded me of myself and how poorly I treated you.” he replied, his green eyes filling with sorrow.

“Roy, look at me. You can’t blame yourself for what Samuel did to me. He was in control of his own actions and there was nothing that you could have done to stop him. I could have reached out to you or someone else, but it was something that I thought I needed to deal with on my own. Do I regret not asking for help? Absolutely. I have scars all over my body that serve as reminders of what happened to me. But it was a decision that I made and I have to live with the consequences. The best thing you can do for yourself and for me is to let it go. Process the idea that I was abused and then move on. Don’t dwell on it. It never does any good to dwell on things like that.”

“When did you get so philosophical and smart?” Roy joked, gently bumping my hip.

I laughed and smacked his arm gently.

“I have to head to the hospital, but I was thinking you and I could maybe grab some dinner tonight?” I suggested.

“As much as I love that idea, I have some stuff to do tonight. Maybe tomorrow?” he asked.

“We can’t. We’re going over to the Diggle’s tomorrow.” I reminded.

“Damn. We’ll figure something out.” Roy said, giving me an encouraging smile.

I smiled and nodded in agreement before gathering my things and pressing the button to open the elevator doors. I thought about my conversation with Roy on my way to the hospital.

“Doctor Maxwell!”

I snapped back to reality when one of the nurses gently shook me.

“I’m so sorry. I got lost in my thoughts.” I explained, straightening my white doctor coat.

“Don’t worry about it. Your patient in room 452 is ready for their appendectomy.” she said, handing me the patient’s chart to review one final time before the surgery.

I scanned the chart, checking to make sure everything was correct and that all of the patient’s vitals were in good standings before handing it back to the nurse. I wound my way through the halls of the hospital, towards the OR. As I walked, I continued thinking back on everything Roy and I had been through together.

I scrubbed in and started in on the surgery. Everything went well and I decided to let one of the interns finish stitching up the patient. I had just handed the intern the needle and thread when one of the assisting nurses informed me that I had three missed calls from Oliver Queen. I thanked her for letting me know and went to scrub out.

I dialed Oliver’s number and sat on one of the beds in the on-call room.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hey, Ollie. It’s Emma. What’s going on?”

“I didn’t know where you were. It’s almost time for dinner with Dig and Lyla.” he reminded.

“Oh shit. I completely forgot. Thank you for the reminder, Ollie. I just got out of surgery. I’ll be there soon.” I said.

Ollie and I said goodbye and I hung up. I went to the locker room and changed out of my scrubs and into my dark wash jeans and blue flannel. I was just about to get on the elevator to head to my car when a nurse came running over to me.

“Are you Doctor Maxwell?” she asked, out of breath.

“Yes. Is everything okay?” I asked, worried.

“There’s a patient here from Iron Heights. He got stabbed almost 30 times. He won’t let anyone but you touch him. If you don’t hurry, he’s going to bleed out and die.” she said, shoving the man’s chart into my hand.

I opened it and looked at the patient’s name. Samuel Braxton.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please feel free to leave comments and critiques!

I stood there, frozen in place. I closed my eyes, hoping I had read the name wrong. When I opened them again, the name was still the same and the nurse stared at me as if I was insane for not rushing off to help the man.

I took a deep breath and made a decision that I would help Samuel only until he was stable and then pass him off to a different doctor. I followed the nurse to the room in the ER that Samuel was occupying. When I got there, I immediately got to work. I started yelling directions to nurses and interns. We worked quickly, stopping the blood that dripped from my abuser’s body.

“Get me two bags of AB negative blood!” I instructed a nearby intern.

“We don’t know his blood type! Shouldn’t we use O negative?” he asked.

“Just get it! I know him and I know his blood type!”

The intern rushed away to the hospital’s blood bank as I continued to stitch up Samuel’s wounds. I directed a nurse to call down to the OR and let them know we were coming.

“He’s stable for right now. Let’s get him down to the OR stat. We have no way of knowing how long he’ll stay this way.” I said.

As soon as we got to the operating room, I began scrubbing in. I had a nurse page another doctor to help assist me. I cut Samuel open and began fixing up his internal injuries. We worked as quickly and efficiently as we could. As I worked, I blocked all memories of Samuel out of my mind and saw him only as a patient who needed me to save his life.

When we finished, I scrubbed out and immediately headed back to the locker room. I tossed on my clothes and raced out of the hospital. I barely made it to my car before the tears started streaming down my cheeks. I sent a text to Lyla saying that I would be at dinner as soon as I could. I swung by Felicity’s closet and grabbed a pale yellow maxi dress and a pair of nude heels before heading to the Diggle’s home.

“Emma! It’s so good to see you again!” Lyla said, hugging me and letting me into her home.

“You look amazing. Pregnancy looks good on you.” I commented, smiling at her baby bump.

“Oh geez. I feel like I’m going to pop any minute.” she replied, rubbing her belly.

I laughed and gave her another quick hug before moving to greet everyone else.

“Could I borrow Ollie for a second?” I asked Felicity, interjecting into her and Laurel’s conversation with Oliver.

She nodded and Oliver followed me out into the hallway. I closed the door behind us and moved a little farther down the hall, knowing someone might try to listen through the door.

“What’s going on, Emma?” Oliver asked, clearly worried.

“It’s Samuel. He’s back.” I said, trying to hold myself together.

“What do you mean he’s back? Did he hurt you? Where is he?”

“Ollie, calm down. He hasn’t hurt me. I treated him in the hospital today. He got stabbed in jail. I don’t know the whole story, but he had almost 30 stab wounds, one cut open his lung and another almost pierced his heart. I operated on him for 4 hours with another doctor. He’s in stable condition now, but he’s my patient. I can’t just turn my back on a patient.”

Oliver started pacing back and forth in anger. I placed my hand on his arm, stopping him. He looked at me and sighed before pulling me into a hug. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing my frustration to melt away for a minute.

“There has to be some way for you to get out of this, Emma. The hospital can’t force you to help your abuser.”

“I’m sure if I really wanted to I could get myself removed from the case, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can at least defend myself against him. The other nurses don’t know what he’s capable of.” I said.

“Emma…” Oliver warned.

“Ollie, I know you don’t like the idea of me being around him, but I promise I’ll be careful. And if he ever tries to do anything, I’ll get the chief to take me off the case. I promise.”

Oliver nodded and we headed back in with the others. Roy looked at me, his eyes searching mine for an explanation, but I shook my head and mouthed “I’ll tell you later.” He nodded and went back to talking to Felicity and Thea. I wandered in to the kitchen and found Lyla chopping vegetables, stirring multiple pots, and checking something that was in the oven.

“Would you like some help?” I offered.

“I would love some help. Could you finish chopping these carrots and toss them in the crockpot? I didn’t want them to cook too long. I have to pee again. This baby thinks my bladder is a foot rest.” Lyla said, handing me the knife she had been using.

I laughed and started chopping the carrots. Roy came into the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to where I was working.

“What’s going on?” he asked casually.

“I treated Samuel at the hospital today for a multitude of stab wounds.” I said, dumping the carrots I had just finished chopping into the crockpot.

“I’m sorry. You did what?” Roy asked, his eyes filled with disbelief.

“Roy, listen. He didn’t try to pull anything. If I hadn’t helped him, he would have died. He wouldn’t let any other doctor treat him. If he ever does anything to me, I will get myself taken off his case. I promise.”

Roy sighed and nodded. He kissed the top of my head and pulled me into a hug.

Lyla came back to finish cooking dinner, so Roy stepped out of the kitchen and struck up a conversation with Laurel. As we worked, I noticed that Lyla wasn’t herself. I helped her move everything out onto the table and set out plates and silverware for everyone.

“What’s going on, Lyla? Are you okay?” I asked, pouring the soup into a serving dish.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. This baby is just going crazy.” She said, wincing in pain.

“Lyla, are you having contractions?” I asked, concerned.

“I don’t care if these are contractions. I am not having this baby until we are finished with dinner. I did not spend all day slaving on this meal only to not be able to eat it. Do not say a word to John or the others. If anything gets worse, I will let you know. Until then, pretend like nothing is happening.”

I nodded and moved the rest of the food out on to the table. Everyone sat down and we all dug in. As we ate, we talked about the different cases that I had helped with back in Central City as well as some of the people that the team had taken down here. We had been eating for about 30 minutes when Lyla stood up.

“Emma, could you help me with dessert?” She asked, her grip on the back of her chair tightening.

“Of course.” I said, standing up and setting my napkin on the table.

I followed her into the kitchen, but she didn’t stop there. Instead, she made a beeline for the bedroom. She immediately sat on the edge of the bed, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

“Lyla, what’s going on? Do we need to call an ambulance?” I asked.

She held up her finger signaling that she needed a minute. I waited patiently for her contraction to pass before handing her phone to her.

“How far apart are your contractions?” I asked.

“About two minutes, maybe one and a half.” She replied.

“Lyla! Why didn’t you say something earlier? We need to get you to the hospital now. You call the hospital and I’ll let everyone know what’s going on.”

She nodded and started dialing the number while I rushed back out to the table. Everyone looked at me with confused expressions when they saw that I wasn’t holding any dessert.

“Lyla is in labor. She’s calling the hospital now. We need to get her ready to go. Diggle, get her hospital bag. Ollie and Roy, I’m going to need your help moving her. Thea and Laurel, it would be a great help if you could clean up some of this stuff. I’m going to keep an eye on Lyla and make sure everything is okay with the baby.”

Everyone sprung into action as soon as I finished speaking. I followed Oliver and Roy back to the bedroom where I knelt in front of Lyla.

“Deep breaths. You’re going to have to just breathe through these contractions until we get you to the hospital.” I said.

She nodded and took a deep breath. I kept an eye on her while we waited for the ambulance to arrive. The paramedics showed up a few minutes later and loaded Lyla into the ambulance. Diggle joined her in the back and Oliver, Thea, and Laurel followed in Laurel’s car.

“Roy, I need a minute. I’ll go to the hospital in a little bit.” I said, tossing my phone in my bag and searching for my car keys.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Seeing Lyla go into labor just reminded me of Noah and my miscarriage. I’ll be fine, I just need some time to get my game face on.” I explained.

“Let’s go get some coffee and talk. Oliver can keep me updated on Lyla.” He said.

I smiled and accepted his outstretched hand, letting him pull me into a hug. 

"Come on. I'll even pay for you." he said, kissing my forehead and helping me put on my jacket.

I stopped him, looking him in the eye.

"Thank you." I whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated! As an apology, here's a slightly longer chapter. I promise to be better about updating from now on!

“What’s going through your head right now?” Roy asked, handing me a cup of coffee and sitting across from me at his kitchen table.

I took a sip of the drink and let the warm liquid relax me before responding to his question.

“It was just really hard for me seeing Lyla in labor because my experience with being pregnant was nothing like hers. When I miscarried Noah, my bump was about half the size of Lyla’s. I barely got to experience carrying a baby before he was ripped away from us. I deliver babies occasionally in the hospital, but that’s different. I don’t know the mothers.”

Roy nodded understandingly and took a sip of his coffee. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Roy’s phone lit up with a text message a little while later.

“It’s Oliver. He says that Lyla is still in labor. She’s dilated 5 centimeters, whatever that means.” Roy read.

“That means that she’s only halfway to the part where she starts pushing.” I explained, laughing.

“Do you want to go over there at some point or would you rather just meet up with them after Sara is born?” Roy asked.

“They’re naming the baby Sara?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah. It was Dig’s gift to Laurel after her sister passed away.”

“Wow, that’s really sweet. I miss Sara. She was such a good person, despite being a part of the League of Assassins.” I said.

“She was an amazing friend and coworker.” Roy added.

I nodded, finishing my coffee and standing up.

“We should go to the hospital and be there for Lyla and Dig. I’ll be fine now. I just needed a little while to think about Noah and wallow in self-pity for a bit.” I said.

Roy pulled me to his chest and pressed his lips against the top of my head. We stood like that for a few minutes and I let calmness wash over me. After a few minutes, we pulled away and headed to my car. As we drove to the hospital, Roy and I talked about what we would be doing if we had never become a part of the Arrow team in the first place.

“Your life wouldn’t be that different. You would still be a kick ass surgeon, out there saving lives and taking no shit. Emma, you have to remember that being a vigilante comes second. Being you comes first.”

I smiled, keeping my eyes on the road, but reaching over and taking Roy’s hand. His phone dinged and he glanced down to read the message.

“It’s from Oliver again. He says Lyla is dilated to 8 centimeters and is asking for you.”

“Why would she be asking for me?” I asked, turning the corner.

“I don’t know. Maybe she just wants another doctor in the room.” Roy suggested.

“She’s got the best doctors in the city looking after her, Roy.” I said, pulling into the parking lot of the hospital.

I parked the car and we headed into the hospital, quickly locating Lyla’s room. When we got there, we could hear Lyla screaming in pain. I grabbed Roy’s hand and ran to the room.

“Oh thank god you’re here.” Diggle said, snagging my free hand and pulling me over to the bed.

Lyla was lying there, arguing with a doctor who was trying to tell her that she needed to calm down. I smiled at the doctor and indicated that I would take care of it.

“Lyla, look at me. I know you’re scared and in pain, but if you don’t start listening to the doctor then I’m going to have some very unkind words with you and it will not be pleasant for either of us. This baby needs to come first, so start acting like it. You have to stay calm so that your blood pressure doesn’t spike and cause fetal distress. Do you want to hurt your baby?” I asked.

Lyla shook her head.

“Exactly. So listen to the doctors and calm the heck down.” I said, pushing the hair off her forehead.

“Thank you.” she said, taking my hand and squeezing it.

I nodded and smiled at her. I heard Oliver laugh behind me. I turned to look at him, confused as to why he was laughing.

“It’s funny to see you in your natural habitat. You’re very doctor-like.” he explained.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” I said, sitting in the chair next to Lyla’s bed.

A few minutes later, one of the doctors came in to check how far Lyla was dilated and announced that she was at 10 centimeters, which meant it was time to push. Lyla immediately grabbed Diggle’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

“It’s okay, I’m here.” he whispered in her ear, kissing her forehead softly.

“We’ll be out in the waiting room if you need us.” I said quietly, giving Lyla’s hand one last squeeze before ushering the others out of the room.

We sat in the waiting room for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about 45 minutes. Finally, a nurse came out and told us that the baby was here and they were ready for us.

“She’s perfect.” Felicity said quietly.

Lyla held Sara out to Felicity, who took her quickly. I glanced over at Oliver and saw him gazing at Felicity and Sara, his eyes filled with pure joy and hope. I walked over to him and bumped him gently with my hip.

“You want one.” I teased quietly.

“Want one what?” he asked, not taking his eyes off Felicity and the baby.

“You want a baby with Felicity.” I said, smiling.

“Yes, I would like to start a family with Felicity.” he said, looking over at me.

I laughed and Oliver pulled me in to a side hug. Laurel finally convinced Felicity to relinquish the baby, and we all laughed as Felicity complained while passing Sara on to Laurel. I watched Laurel as she cooed to Sara. I knew that she had already shed tears while we waited for Sara to make her arrival. Although she was happy and grateful for the naming decision, I think it also served as a reminder of what had happened to her sister.

“My turn.” I said after a little while, stepping away from Oliver.

Laurel handed me the bundle of baby and I sat on the edge of the bed. Sara stared up at me, her still blue eyes full of confusion and wonder.

“Hey there, chunk.” I said, letting her wrap her hand around my finger.

Sara sneezed in response and everyone laughed.

“She’s beautiful. Congratulations, you two.” I said to Lyla and Diggle.

“Thank you. And thank you for helping me.” Lyla said.

“That’s what friends are for.” I replied, gently kissing Sara’s hand before passing her on to Roy.

As I watched Roy with Sara, my heart began to ache. I saw how good he was with her. He held her so carefully, as if he were afraid she would break. I couldn’t help but start thinking what our lives would be like if I hadn’t miscarried Noah.

“Stop it.”

I snapped out of my daydream and looked over at Oliver.

“Stop what?” I asked, confused.

“Stop thinking about what your life would be like if you still had Noah. You’ll only cause yourself more pain and suffering.” Oliver said quietly.

I nodded and banished the thoughts from my mind. Roy handed Sara to Oliver, who stiffened a little.

“Relax, Ollie. You’re not going to hurt her. It’s a baby, not a bomb.” I said, laughing.

Oliver shot me a glare before turning his attention back to the baby in his arms. Sara’s eyes began to close and soon she was asleep. Oliver placed her back in Lyla’s arms with a small smile.

“I should go check on some of my patients while we’re here.” I said, tossing my phone into my bag after snapping a few pictures of Sara.

“I’ll walk with you.” Roy said, standing.

I hugged everyone goodbye and promised to stop by to see Sara again before I left the hospital. Roy and I walked to the elevators and waited for the doors to open. We made our way around the hospital in a comfortable silence. We stopped by the locker room to grab my white doctors coat and stethoscope.

“Are you going to round on Samuel?” Roy asked as we left the room of one of the patients I had operated on earlier that day.

“Yes, I need to round on him. He is one of my patients.” I replied, tucking the other patient’s chart back into the shelf at the nurse’s station and grabbing Samuel’s.

I flipped open his chart and saw that another doctor had rounded on him a few hours ago and had noticed that his blood pressure was a little high. I continued reading the chart as we walked, explaining to Roy what had happened to Samuel. When we arrived, Samuel was asleep.

“Are you going to wake him up?” Roy asked.

I shook my head and laughed softly.

“He needs rest. More often than not, just checking someone’s vitals is enough to wake them up. You may want to step outside. I don’t think he would react well to seeing you. And he may be exceptionally grumpy since he’s a little sedated and on some serious pain medication.” I suggested.

“If I hear anything bad, I’m coming in.” Roy threatened before stepping outside and closing the door.

I moved a tray of uneaten food to the side so that I could take Samuel’s pulse. I took his wrist and gently pressed my fingers on the inside, finding the soft beat immediately. I looked down at my watch, counting the beats. His pulse was normal, so I moved to press a button to start the blood pressure machine.

As I reached out to press the small black button, Samuel’s eyes flew open. He stared at me, his eyes angry and confused.

“Hi, I’m just checking your vitals. I’ll be done in a minute.” I said, pressing to button.

As the machine began pumping the cuff around Samuel’s arm, I ran a thermometer across his forehead. He stared at me the entire time, as if he was trying to remember who I was.

“Everything seems good. A nurse will be back to check on you in a little bit. If you need anything, the red button on the side of the bed is the call button. If you press it, a nurse will come by. Do you have any questions?” I asked.

Samuel didn’t respond, so I decided it would be best if I just left. As I turned to pick up my stethoscope from the bedside table, I saw a flash of movement before feeling a sharp pain in my chest. I looked down and saw that the knife that had been on Samuel’s dinner tray was protruding from my chest, right by my heart.

I screamed as blood poured from the wound. Everything started to go dark. The last thing I saw before I hit the floor was Samuel’s smirk as Roy rushed in. A few moments later, everything was black.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update! This part is in Roy's point of view. Enjoy!

Roy’s P.O.V.

I ran into the room as soon as I heard Emma scream. The first thing I saw was Samuel, standing there, his face holding a look of pure ecstasy. The next thing I saw was Emma, lying on the floor in a pool of blood, a knife stabbed deep in her chest.

The next thing I knew, I was on top of Samuel, beating him. A doctor ran in and pulled me off of Samuel before turning and yelling for security and a crash cart. The room was soon filled with people. Two nurses sedated Samuel while a handful of doctors worked on Emma.

“Sir, we need you to follow us.” a security guard said, looking at me.

I nodded numbly and followed the man out into the hallway. We made our way to a small room that looked like some kind of meeting room. The security guard took a seat in one of the rolling chairs and motioned for me to do the same.

“What happened?” he asked, pouring a glass of water from the pitcher on the table and passing it to me.

“Emma is a doctor. Samuel is one of her patients. They used to date. He was abusive. Samuel ended up in jail. He got stabbed last night and Emma was the only doctor he would allow to work on him. Emma and I were here with a friend who just had a baby. Emma decided to round on her patients while we were here. When we got to Samuel she asked me to stay outside so that I wouldn’t upset him. A few minutes later, I heard Emma scream. I ran in and found her on the ground with Samuel standing over her.”

The man wrote a few notes on a pad of paper that he produced from his pocket. He nodded and listened in silence as I told him what happened.

“Is that it?” he asked.

I nodded and took a sip of the water. The officer wrote a few other quick notes before putting away his pen and pad of paper.

“Are you and Doctor Maxwell close?” he asked.

“We dated in high school. She just came back into town a few weeks ago.” I replied, taking another drink.

“Why did she come back?”

“She wanted to visit her parents and some friends. She got a temporary job here at the hospital and she lives with a mutual friend.”

“Where did she come here from?”

“Central City.”

The man and I went back and forth like this for a few more minutes before Captain Lance came in.

“Hello, Roy. How are you holding up?” he asked, dismissing the security guard and taking a seat.

I took a deep breath, forcing my tears and anger back before I responded.

“I’m fine. Just worried about Emma. That bastard better pay for what he did to her.” I said, anger trickling into my voice.

“He will. Have you told Oliver and the rest of the gang yet?”

“Not yet. I wanted to wait and see how she’s doing before I worry them.” I replied.

“You should tell them. At least tell Oliver. From what Laurel’s told me, they’re basically brother and sister. He has a right to know. You are all a family.” Captain Lance said, standing up and walking towards the door.

“I’ll call him in a few minutes.” I said.

“Good. I’m going to go work on this case and I’ll make sure to let the doctors know you’re here. You’re more than welcome to stay in this room or the waiting room until she’s out of surgery.” Captain Lance said.

“Thank you. I’ll probably stay here to make the phone call.” I said.

“Okay. Keep me updated on Emma.” he said before closing the door behind him.

I took a deep breath and allowed a few tears to slip down my cheeks before I pulled out my phone and dialed Oliver’s number with shaking hands.

“Hey, Roy. What’s up? We’re still in Lyla’s room. Are you and Emma coming by anytime soon? We were going to leave in a bit to get some real food for Lyla and Diggle.” Oliver said.

“I’m headed your way now. I’ll be there in five.” I said.

I hung up before Oliver could ask about Emma. As I walked towards the room where all of my friends were, my mind raced with ways to tell them what was happening. I tried to hold back my tears and anger, but the more I tried the harder it got. I pushed open the door to Lyla’s room and was immediately greeted by Felicity.

“Where’s Emma? Is she still rounding on patients? It’s taking awhile.” Laurel said.

“Are you crying? Roy, what’s wrong? Where’s Emma?” Thea asked.

“Samuel stabbed Emma. She’s in surgery right now. That’s all I know. I shouldn’t have left her alone with that son of a bitch. It’s my fault.”

The room was dead silent. Everyone was staring at me with varying expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces.

“Where is she? I need to see her.” Oliver said, pushing past me.

I tried to answer, but I couldn’t get the words out. I broke down sobbing, sinking to the floor, the pain too much to handle. I felt Laurel wrap her arms around me as she knelt next to me on the light blue laminate floor.

“Shhh. She’s going to get through this. It’s Emma. She’s stronger than all of us.” Thea said, rubbing my back, fighting back tears of her own.

Oliver wrapped his arms around a stunned Felicity. She turned into his chest as silent tears slipped from her eyes. There was a knock on the door. A nurse came in and took in the sight before her.

“Is there a Roy Harper here? I was told by Captain Lance that he should be here.” she said, looking around at us.

“I’m Roy.” I managed to say, pushing myself off the floor and wiping my tears with the sleeve of my red hoodie.

“The doctor would like to speak to you about Emma Maxwell. He’s waiting in the hallway.” she said.

I nodded and followed her out of the room. A man in his mid thirties, dressed in scrubs was waiting.

“I’m Dr. Jackson Kryo. I’ve been assisting on Emma’s surgery.” he said, shaking my hand.

“Hello. How is Emma doing? When can I see her?” I asked.

“She’s still in surgery, but we’re almost finished. The knife nicked her heart, causing a tear. We managed to fix that relatively easily. Her head on the other hand is causing a bit more trouble. When she fell, she smashed her head on the corner of a table and it looks like Mr. Braxton may have kicked her pretty hard as well, which caused a fracture in her skull. We’re going to have to put her in a medically-induced coma so that she can heal.”

“A coma? For how long?” I asked.

“It depends. It could only be for a day or two, but it could be for up to six months. It all depends on how quickly she heals.” he explained.

“When can I see her?” I asked.

“She should be out of surgery within the next 2-3 hours. I’ll be sure to keep you updated. You should go home and rest. I’ll give you a call when she’s ready for visitors.” Dr. Kryo said.

I nodded and shook his hand before turning and going back into Lyla’s room. Everyone was waiting anxiously to hear what the doctor had said. I explained it all to them and answered their questions to the best of my ability.

“We should probably get you home then. You need some sleep and some food.” Laurel said, squeezing my arm gently.

I nodded, my mind still numb, and followed her out to my car. She took the keys from my hand and directed me into the passenger seat before starting the car and driving me home.

“She’s going to be okay, Roy.” Laurel whispered, not taking her eyes off the road.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if she dies, Laurel. I still love her.” I said, fresh tears slipping down my cheeks.

Laurel pulled into my driveway and parked before turning and looking at me.

“Emma is not going to die, Roy. She has the best doctors working on her and she would never let this be the way she goes. You know that just as much as I do.”

“I love her, Laurel. I love her so much. I should have never hurt her the way I did. I want a life with her in it.”

Laurel didn’t respond. She just held me and let me cry. After a few minutes, I managed to mostly regain my composure. We got out of my car and Laurel walked to the door with me.

“Call me when you hear from the hospital, okay?” she said.

“I will. Thank you.” I whispered.

She nodded and hugged me as Thea pulled up. Laurel got in Thea’s car and they drove off. I dropped my keys on the counter and made my way into the bedroom, collapsing on my bed.

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I grabbed it and glanced at the screen, seeing that it was the hospital calling.

“Hello?” I answered, scrubbing the sleep from my eyes with the back of my hand.

“Hello. I’m looking for Roy Harper. This is Doctor Jackson Kryo speaking.”

“Hi, Dr. Kryo. This is Roy. How is Emma?”

“She’s out of surgery and her vitals are stable for her condition. She is in a coma though. You are welcome to come visit her whenever you’re ready.”

I jumped out of bed, pulling on a clean shirt.

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes. Thank you for calling.” I said, running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame my bedhead.

“I’ll let her nurses know to expect you.”

I hung up and tossed my phone on the bed before racing to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I brushed, I yanked on a pair of jeans and socks before shoving my feet into a pair of black Nikes. I rinsed my mouth out and yanked a comb through my hair before racing out the door.

I dialed Oliver’s number as I pulled out of my driveway.

“Hello?” he answered, his voice dripping with sleep.

“Hey, it’s Roy. Sorry to wake you up. I just wanted to let you know that Emma is out of surgery. She’s not awake because they had to put her in a medically induced coma, but she’s not dead.” I said, almost running a stop sign.

“Are you going to head over there?” he asked.

“I’m on my way right now.”

“Great. We’ll give you some time alone with her and then Felicity and I will head over. Have you talked to the others yet?” he asked.

“Not yet.”

“I’ll call them. You go spend time with Emma. See you later.”

“Bye, Oliver.”

I hung up and sped to the hospital. I parked and raced up to Emma’s room. When I got there, I found a nurse leaving the room.

“You must be Roy. Dr. Kryo told us to expect you. He said you know her current condition so I’ll leave you to it.” she said, giving me a quick smile before disappearing around the corner.

I took a deep breath and hesitated. For some reason, I was afraid to see Emma. What would she look like? Could she hear me?

I pushed open the door and forced myself to walk in.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please vote and feel free to comment any critiques or suggestions!

Emma lay in the bed, her skin tan against the stark white of the sheets. Her sun-kissed brunette curls cascaded across the pillow. She looked beautiful. It was almost as if she was just sleeping. There was an IV in her left arm and stark bruises under her eyes, but other than that she looked just like the girl I had fallen in love with all those years ago.

“Hello, Mr. Harper.”

I turned and found Dr. Kryo standing in the doorway.

“Hi. How is she?” I asked.

“She’s stable. I wish I could tell you when she’ll be ready to wake up, but there’s really no way to tell.”

I nodded understandingly and moved to sit in the chair sat next to the bed. I took her hand and squeezed it gently.

“There’s a very high possibility that she can hear you. I’ve got other patients that I need to check on, but I’ll be back in a few hours to check on her. Until then, if you need anything, the nurse’s station is right in the hallway or there’s a call button on the side of her bed.”

I thanked Dr. Kryo before he turned and left, sliding the glass door and curtain closed behind him. After he left, I turned my attention back to Emma.

“If you can actually hear me, I want you to know that we all love you and miss you and want you to make a full, safe recovery, no matter how long it takes. We will all be right here, supporting you forever and always. Please come back, Emma. Please.” I begged, pressing my lips against her hand.

I just sat there, studying her, memorizing the lines of her face and how her eyelashes barely brushed her bruised cheeks. A faint scar ran up against her hairline near her left ear, a reminder of the time she had fallen from the top of the play set at the Queen mansion.

The door opened and Oliver and Felicity came in, followed by Laurel and Thea. Laurel pressed a gentle kiss into my hair while Oliver went straight to Emma and took her other hand in one of his. He kissed her forehead gently before pulling away so that Felicity could see Emma.

“How is she?” Thea quietly.

“She’s stable but in a coma, obviously. The doctors don’t know when she’ll be ready to wake up, but Dr. Kryo says that she can hear us.” I replied, brushing my thumb across the back of her hand.

“Is there anything that we can do to help you?” Felicity asked, looking at me with concern in her eyes.

“Just having you all here right now is all I need. Has anyone told Lyla and Diggle that she’s out of surgery? I didn’t call them because I didn’t want to ruin there moment with Sara.” I said.

“I sent Diggle a text, but he hasn’t responded yet. They’re probably asleep.” Oliver responded.

I nodded before turning my attention back to Emma. We all just sat with her for awhile, silent, all of us thinking back to the good and bad times we had all had with her. Nobody cried, nobody laughed. We were all just silent. 

After about an hour of us all just sitting there, a nurse came by to check on Emma. She checked her vitals and wrote a few things down in Emma’s chart before shooting me a sympathetic smile and exiting the room quietly.

“I need to get some fresh air. I’ll be back.” I said, standing and heading towards the door.

“Do you want one of us to come with you?” Laurel asked.

“No, thank you. I just need to get out of this room for a few minutes.” I replied.

I left the room, closing the door softly behind me. I made my way through the hallways until I finally got outside. I started towards a nearby coffee shop as I pulled out my phone and dialed Barry’s number.

“Hey, Roy! What’s up?” Barry asked.

“Hey, Barry. Do you have a minute? There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Yeah, I’m just hanging out in STAR Labs with everyone.”

“Could you put me on speaker so I can talk to everyone then?” I requested.

“Sure. You’re on speaker now.” Barry replied.

“Hey everyone. I just wanted to let you guys all know that Emma was attacked by an ex boyfriend and now she’s in a coma. They don’t know how long it will take her to be healed enough to wake up, but she’s in the care of one of the best doctors in the country.” I said.

There was dead silence on the other end of the line before Ronnie spoke some choice expletives.

“Are you forreal right now?” Cisco asked.

“Absolutely.” I replied.

“We’ll be there as soon as possible.” Caitlin said.

“Cait, we don’t know if they even want us all there.” I heard Ronnie whisper in the background.

“No, it’s okay. You guys are all always welcome here. I’m sure Emma would want you here.” I said.

“Barry just ran out to grab some stuff and then we’ll all head over. We’ll be there in a few hours.” Cisco said.

“Sounds good. See you then. Bye guys.”

There was a chorus of goodbyes before Barry ended the call. I stepped in to the coffee shop and got in line to order. As I was waiting, I thought about the first time I had ever come to this particular coffee shop. It had been right before Emma and I started officially dating. She had invited me here to work on an English assignment that I had been struggling with. We had coffee and talked, the English assignment sitting on the table in front of us, completely forgotten. It had been that very day that I knew she was the girl for me.

When it was my turn to order, I recited everyone’s order from memory. The barista swiped my card and thanked me before I moved out of the way. The shop wasn’t very busy, so it didn’t take long for them to call my order. I grabbed the drinks and headed back to the hospital. Back to the love of my life and our friends.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave comments and critiques!

When I got back to the hospital room, I found Captain Lance talking to Laurel in the hallway.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked, handing Laurel her coffee.

“I was just checking in on Emma and telling Laurel about what happened so that she can start building a case against Samuel Braxton. How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay. Is there anything I can do to help with the investigation?” I asked.

“Not right now. You may end up needing to testify. Samuel is saying that he was acting in self-defense. According to him, Emma attacked him first.” Laurel said.

Anger flared up inside me and my hands clenched into fists.

“Emma did no such thing. Samuel attacked her. He could have killed her! He tried to kill her!” I said, my voice growing louder.

“Roy, calm down. We all know that Emma didn’t attack him. Nobody believes him, but we still have to investigate and prosecute him.” Laurel said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I let out a deep breath and let me hands relax. I knew that both Laurel and Captain Lance were on our side. They knew Emma almost as well as I did.

I thanked Captain Lance and Laurel before pushing open the door and walking into Emma’s room. I passed around the coffees and sat in the chair by the bed, sipping my drink. We all sat there for a while, drinking and making small talk. Eventually, Felicity and Oliver left to go check on Lyla, Diggle, and the new baby while Thea and Laurel left to respond to a hostage situation in the Glades. Finally, Laurel left with her dad to go work on the case against Samuel.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, Ems.” I whispered as I kissed her forehead.

I woke up a few hours later to the sound of my phone ringing.

“Hello?” I answered groggily.

“Roy, it’s Oliver. We need you to come to the campaign office. There’s been a kidnapping and a homicide. We need all hands on deck.” 

“I’ll be right there.” I said.

I hung up and pressed a kiss into Emma’s hair before running out to the nurse’s station to let them know that I would be back in a few hours and to call me if anything changed with Emma’s condition.

When I got to the lair, I rushed to suit up while Oliver and Diggle briefed me on what was happening.

“A woman named Alicia Marks killed her boyfriend and took his baby. She’s hiding out in a motel a few miles outside city limits.” Diggle said, grabbing his gun and mask.

“She’s armed and potentially mentally unstable so we need to be careful.” Oliver said.

“She’s on the move, guys!” Felicity shouted from the computers.

“We need to move now. Remember, we don’t have Emma to patch us up so we need to make sure nobody gets seriously injured.” Oliver reminded us.

“She’s heading out towards Central City. Do we want to notify Barry and the others? They’re coming this way anyway.” Felicity asked.

“Call Barry. We’re going to have to play this one by ear.” Diggle said.

Felicity immediately dialed Barry’s number while I donned my mask.

“I’m ready. Let’s move.” I said.

We headed out and started in the direction Felicity told us to go.

“She just stopped and turned around. She’s heading back out to the motel.” Felicity informed us.

“We should just head there and wait for her.” I said.

Oliver nodded and Diggle turned the van around and we headed out towards Alicia’s motel. When we got there, Diggle dropped Oliver, Laurel and I off before he turned around to head back a mile or so in order to keep an eye out for Alicia. I kept checking my phone as we waited, praying that the hospital wouldn’t call.

“Arsenal, if you can’t focus then you shouldn’t be here. Go be with Midnight Medic.” Oliver said.

“No. Sorry. I’m focused.” I said, shoving my phone into one of my pockets.

“She’s almost to you guys. The baby is asleep in the backseat. Try to keep it that way. The kid has been traumatized enough. SCPD is on their way, but they’re at least 15 minutes out.” Diggle said over the radio.

A few moments later, a white SUV pulled into the parking lot. Alicia stepped out of the car and Oliver immediately tackled her to the ground, knocking a gun out of the waistband of her jeans.

“Get off me!” she screamed, pushing at Oliver with one hand while reaching for the gun with the other.

I stepped forward and picked up the gun with a gloved hand, carefully removing the bullets and placing them in an evidence bag along with the gun. While Thea and Oliver dealt with Alicia, I opened the car door and scooped the baby out of her seat and wrapped her in a blanket that was lying in the passenger seat.

“Arsenal, look out!” I heard Thea shout.

I turned and saw Alicia standing there, pointing a gun straight at my head.

“Give me the baby.” she said calmly.

I wrapped my arms tighter around the sleeping infant, shielding her from the crazy woman in front of me.

“Why do you want her? She isn’t your baby.” I said, forcing all fear out of my voice.

“Give me Riley. I love her. She’s my baby. I’m a much better parent than her father.” she said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Oliver creeping towards us, getting into position.

“Alicia, if you shoot me, there is a very high chance that Riley will get hurt in the process. Don’t do that to this baby. She deserves a chance at a good, safe, healthy life. Do you think you can provide that for her?” I asked, cradling the still sleeping infant to my chest.

Tears slipped down Alicia’s face, her hands trembling slightly. I shook my head slightly at Oliver, signaling him not to take her down yet.

“Alicia, look at me. Look at Riley. You already took her dad away from her. She’s too young to even remember him. Don’t do more damage to this little girl. She needs someone to take care of her.” I said, my voice pleading.

Alicia’s hands started to shake more violently as the tears fell more quickly. She dropped to gun, falling to her knees in front of me, sobbing.

Oliver ran forward, waking the gun and handing it to Laurel before tying Alicia’s hands behind her back. A few moments later, Captain Lance pulled up in his police cruiser.

“How’s the baby?” he asked, handcuffing Alicia before cutting the ropes that Oliver had used to bind her wrists together.

“She’s fine. Where will she end up?” I asked, gazing down at the infant in my arms.

“She’ll end up in an orphanage until someone volunteers to foster or adopt her.” Captain Lance said, tucking Alicia into the backseat of the cruiser.

I stared down at the tiny human, trying to imagine her living her life in an orphanage, surrounded by a cloak of uncertainty and depression.

“I’ll take her.” I said.

“Roy, are you sure you can handle a baby considering the life you live?” Oliver asked.

“I’ve always wanted to be a father. I have a job, a home, and I’ll have a great support system.” I said.

“What about Emma? What do you think she’ll think when she wakes up?” Laurel asked.

“I think this is something Emma would want me to do. She’d do the exact same thing if she were the one standing here instead of me.” I said.

“I’ll fill out the paperwork for you, but I’ll need a signature in a few days. There will be visits from the Department of Family and Child Services though. I’ll make sure you get a good case worker.” Lance said.

He squeezed my shoulder and gave me a tired smile before returning to his police cruiser and pulling out of the parking lot and heading back into town with Alicia in the backseat.

“I found Riley’s birth certificate and some hospital records along with a bunch of clothes, diapers, and other baby stuff in the motel room. It should be enough to at least get you started. I’ll go by the dad’s house later and get anything else you might need.” Laurel said, playing with Riley’s hand.

“Thank you.” I said, kissing Laurel’s forehead.

She nodded and smiled before turning and heading towards the van that Diggle and Thea had just driven up in. I walked back over to Alicia’s car and pulled out Riley’s carseat. I strapped her in carefully before undoing the base from the backseat and handing it to Diggle to install in the van.

“Let’s go home.” I whispered, smiling down at my new daughter.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little bit of a longer chapter. Enjoy! Please feel free to comment and leave critiques.

When we got back to the lair, I undid Riley’s carseat from the base, being careful not to wake her. Felicity took her from me so that I could help carry a few other things.

“You should bring her by the hospital and make sure she’s doing okay. You may be able to get a medical background on her as well just to see if she has any allergies or anything like that.” Laurel said, handing me my quiver.

“Yeah, I was planning to swing by the hospital to see Emma. I’ll take her with me.” I said, removing the rest of my suit and putting it away.

After I had changed back into my regular clothes, I found Felicity sitting in her favorite chair, making faces down at Riley.

“Is she awake?” I asked, walking over to them.

“Yeah. She has the most beautiful blue eyes. They look almost exactly like yours.” she said, smiling up at me.

I looked down at Riley and couldn’t help but smile. She was beautiful. Felicity was right. Her eyes did look like mine.

“Do you want me to hold on to her so you can go see Emma?”

“No, I was just going to take her with me and see if I can get a checkup for her and maybe some medical background.” I said.

“That sounds like a good plan. You should bring her by tonight and give Oliver and I an update on Emma. Why don’t you have dinner with us tonight?” she offered.

“That sounds like a really good idea. But maybe you guys should come over to my place. I could use some help setting up some baby stuff for Riley and getting her all settled in.” I suggested.

“Sure. We’d love to help you in any way that we can. We’ll meet you at your place at 6. Oliver and I can pick up Big Belly Burger on our way over.” Felicity said, handing Riley to me.

I thanked her and headed back out to my car. Diggle had moved the carseat base over from the van into the backseat of my SUV. I snapped Riley’s carseat in and buckled her in carefully.

She fell back asleep on our way over to the hospital and slept all the way up to Emma’s room.

“Who is this little sweetheart?” Emma’s nurse asked as we came into the room.

“This is Riley. She’s my foster daughter. I’m in the process of adopting her.” I said, unbuckling her from her carseat and setting it aside before sitting back in the chair next to Emma’s bed.

“She certainly is precious. Is there anything I can get for you two?” she asked.

“Actually, is there a pediatrician available that could give her a quick checkup? And is there any way for me to get a copy of Riley’s medical records. Her birthmother is dead and so is her father. And the father’s girlfriend just went to jail.” I said.

“Of course. I’ll page pediatrics and get someone up here to check on her. And I will personally print you a copy of her medical records. Just give me a few minutes. What’s her last name and date of birth?”

“It’s Anderson. Riley Grace Anderson. I don’t know her date of birth.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” the nurse said, shooting me one last smile before leaving the room.

I sat there with Emma, holding my sleeping daughter, imagining what life would be like when Emma woke up and saw Riley.

“Mr. Harper?” a voice inquired.

I looked up and saw a doctor standing in the doorway.

“Yes?”

“I’m Dr. Andrews. I’m a pediatric resident. Nurse Hailey said that you requested a checkup for a Riley Anderson?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you so much for coming by on such short notice.” I said, standing and shaking her hand.

“Of course. This must be Riley?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Could you take her clothes off and lay her on the end of the bed? You can leave her diaper on.” she said.

I did as Dr. Andrew requested and held Riley still while she listened to her heart and lungs and did a quick physical.

“She looks healthy and happy. I reviewed her medical records and it looks like she doesn’t have any allergies or chronic medical issues. She’s never been breastfed, so you won’t have to worry about transitioning her to a bottle.”

“Would you happen to know her date of birth?” I asked.

“Today is actually her three month birthday. She missed being a Valentine’s Day baby by exactly one week.” Dr. Andrews said.

“Thank you.”

“Of course. You can get her dressed now. Nurse Hailey should be in with a copy of those records for your files. Do you need anything else while I’m here?” she asked.

“I don’t think so. Thanks again.” I said, standing and shaking her hand again before she left.

“Happy Birthday, lovebug.” I whispered down to Riley.

She stared up at me with her big blue eyes. I looked down at her in amazement. How could I be so in love with someone I had just met. I felt like she filled a hole in my heart that I didn’t even know was there.

Nurse Hailey came by a few minutes later to drop of a copy of Riley’s file and help me change her diaper.

“You’re a natural!” she laughed, buttoning up Riley’s onesie.

“Thanks. I did some practicing for before Emma gave birth to our son, Noah.” I said, picking Riley up and soothing her.

“Oh how sweet. Where is Noah?” Hailey asked.

“Emma had a miscarriage. We were still in high school when she got pregnant.” I said, rocking Riley back and forth.

“I’m so sorry.” Hailey said, walking over and checking Emma’s vitals.

“It’s okay. We’re finally working through it.” I said, smiling.

Hailey squeezed Riley’s chubby little foot gently before leaving, closing the door behind her. I sat with Emma for a little bit longer before standing up to leave. I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket. I pulled it out and found a text from Laurel saying that she and Thea had dropped off all of Riley’s things from the motel and the house at my place. I sent her a quick thank you message before settling Riley back into her carseat and heading out to my car.

When I got back to my house, I unloaded Riley and headed inside. When I got into the living room, I found Oliver, Felicity, Thea, and Laurel there along with everyone from Central City.

“Hey, everyone.” I said, smiling.

“How are you and Riley doing?” Laurel asked.

“We’re good. She’s healthy and happy with no allergies or medical conditions and today is her three month birthday.”

“Congratulations! That’s great news.” Barry said, hugging me and taking Riley.

Everyone passed my daughter around, laughing and making faces at her. Eventually, she made her way back to me and fell asleep in my arms.

“We should probably get to putting everything together for this little lovebug.” Ronnie said, taking Riley from my arms.

“I got this, guys.” Barry said.

“Wait! We want to at least help!” Felicity protested.

“You can build all of the furniture and we can all decorate and set things up?” I suggested.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Barry said.

We all waited for a few minutes while Barry raced around, putting the crib, changing table, and chest of drawers together. Once he was finished, we all moved everything into place, falling under Laurel and Felicity’s directions.

“Put the crib over in the middle of that wall and then put the rocking chair in that corner next to it. Then the changing stuff can go on top of the drawers. Roy, I washed all of her clothes, so you can get started on folding them and then Laurel can put them away so they’re organized.”

I set Riley on a blanket on the floor next to me and got started on folding the clothes. We finished the room approximately two hours later. I looked around and smiled. The room was perfect. The white furniture went well with the grey walls and there were blue and pink accents throughout the room.

“Thank you so much, everyone. It looks incredible.” I said, tears welling in my eyes.

“Of course. We’re always happy to help. Now let’s get this little sweetheart bathed, fed, and in bed.” Laurel said, scooping Riley off the blanket.

“I’ll make her bottle if you want to bathe her?” I asked.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” she replied, kissing Riley on the forehead and grabbing a clean diaper before heading to the bathroom.

The rest of us went downstairs and everyone settled onto the couches and chairs in the living room while I made a bottle for Riley, being careful to follow the instructions on the formula container as perfectly as I possibly could. I shook the bottle as I walked into the living room.

“Do I have to heat this thing up? I made it with warm water.”

“See if she’ll drink it like that. If not, heat it up.” Caitlyn said.

I nodded and headed back upstairs to see how Laurel was doing. I found her and Riley back in the nursery. Laurel was just finishing up putting baby lotion on Riley.

“How did bath time go?” I asked, setting the bottle down on the dresser and grabbing pale pink pajamas from the closet.

“It went really well. Riley really likes the water.” Laurel said, closing the tub of lotion and handing my daughter to me.

I slipped her into the pajamas before standing up and grabbing the bottle from the dresser. She took the bottle without any complaint, sucking happily. I sat down in the rocking chair, settling Riley comfortably in my right arm while I held the bottle with my left. Laurel left to hang up the towel she had used on Riley, closing the door behind her.

“Pretty sure it’s just going to be you and me for awhile, kiddo.” I said as Riley’s eyes began to flutter shut.

She barely managed to finish her bottle before she fell asleep, soft breaths escaping form her slightly open mouth. I pulled the bottle away and set it on the edge of her crib. I stood up slowly and carefully lowered her into her crib, making sure she was still asleep before grabbing the empty bottle and tiptoeing out of the room.

When I got back downstairs, I set the bottle on the counter and looked around the room. Everyone was talking quietly, occasionally smiling or letting out a soft laugh. I was happy to see that Riley brought some joy into our lives during this incredibly hard time.

“Is she asleep?” Felicity asked, standing next to me.

“Yeah, she’s asleep. Thank you for all of your help today.” I said, smiling over at her.

“Of course. We’re all here to help you, Roy. Always.”

We all talked for a little while about how things had been going in Central City and what metahumans Barry and the team had been taking down since we last saw them. After an hour or so, Laurel left. Cisco, Iris, and Joe went back to her apartment to spend the night while Ronnie and Caitlyn left with Oliver and Felicity. Barry decided to stay the night with Riley and I, just in case I needed a hand in the middle of the night.

“How are you doing with everything?” I asked Barry, closing the door behind me after checking on Riley.

“I’m okay. It’s hard not knowing when she’ll wake up, but I know you’re going through the same thing. I’m glad you have Riley now though. I think Emma will be really proud of you for stepping up to the plate for that little girl.” Barry said.

“Thank you.” I replied.

“Anytime. I’m going to head to bed. Wake me up if you need any help with Riley.”

“Goodnight, Barry.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

A few weeks passed and everyone had returned back to their respective cities. Riley and I had finally settled in a general schedule.

“And that’s the story of the time daddy shot his first bad guy.” I said, scooping the last bite of applesauce into Riley’s mouth.

I stood up and tossed the empty applesauce container into the trash before rinsing off the spoon and sticking it in the dishwasher.

“Dada!”

I spun around and faced my daughter.

“What did you just say?” I asked, stepping closer.

“Dada!” Riley laughed, kicking her feet against her highchair.

I felt tears spring to my eyes.

“Yeah, baby. I’m your dada.” I said, unbuckling her and hugging her tightly.

I kissed the top of her head, a few tears slipping down my cheeks. I set her down on the floor so she could crawl around while I cleaned up her highchair. I had just grabbed the package of wipes when my phone started ringing.

“Hello?” I answered, putting the phone on speaker so I could continue cleaning up while I talked.

“This is Doctor Jackson Kryo. Is Roy Harper available?”

“Hey, Dr. Kryo. It’s Roy.”

“Roy, I have some really good news for you. Emma just woke up.”

I froze. I had to have heard him wrong. Emma had been in a coma for almost two months.

“Are you there, Roy?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Sorry. Are you sure? Is this real?” I asked.

“Absolutely. She’s been asking for you. Should I let her know you’re on your way?”

“Yes. Yes please. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” I said, tossing the wipes on the counter and racing to get Riley dressed.

“Alright. See you soon.”

I hung up and immediately dialed Oliver’s number. As I filled him in on what was going on, I changed Riley’s diaper before dressing her in a lavender dress with little grey shoes. As soon as Riley was ready to go, I set her down in her crib while I raced to pull on a clean pair of jeans and a black shirt.

“Are you ready to go meet Emma?” I asked, buckling my daughter into her carseat.

Riley babbled happily in her own language before shoving the tail of her favorite stuffed whale in her mouth.

“I’m going to take that as a yes.” I said, laughing before closing the door and jumping into the drivers seat.

I turned on some kids music and headed out to the airport, ignoring my phone as it blew up with text messages and calls from friends as Oliver told them the good news. When we got to the hospital, I undid Riley’s carseat from the base and carried her inside, heading straight to Emma’s room.

“Roy, how are you doing?” Dr. Kryo asked, meeting outside Emma’s door.

“I’m excited to see Emma and introduce her to Riley.” I said, readjusting my grip on Riley’s carseat.

“She’s excited to see you two. She remembers everything you told her when she was in the coma, so she knows about Riley. She can’t wait to meet her. She’s officially yours now, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is. We just finished up the paperwork last week and now she is officially my daughter. Can I see Emma now?” I asked, growing impatient.

“Of course.” Dr. Kryo said, opening the door and stepping aside.

I walked in and set Riley down next to the bed before wrapping Emma in my arms.

“I missed you so much.” I said, my eyes filling with tears.

“I missed you too. I love you so much.” Emma whispered, kissing me gently.

I kissed her back, enjoying the feeling of her lips on mine. We broke the kiss a few seconds later when Riley screamed out ‘Dada!’

“Where is this new little family member?” Emma asked.

I unbuckled Riley from her carseat and picked her up, placing her on my lap and turning her so she could see Emma.

“Can you say hi to Emma, Ry?” I asked.

Riley blew a raspberry and reached towards Emma, giggling. I set Riley on the edge of the bed and smiled as she played with Emma’s curls.

“Hello, sweet lovebug.” Emma said, kissing Riley’s head gently.

“That’s what I call her too.” I said, watching my daughter interact with my Emma.

“She’s perfect, Roy. I’m so proud of you for stepping up and taking care of her.”

“Thank you. I saw her and I just knew I couldn’t let her go. Captain Lance was a huge help through the whole adoption process and really helped to speed things along.” I said, digging out a container of applesauce and a spoon.

“May I feed her?” Emma asked.

“Of course. She’s kind of a messy eater though, especially when she isn’t completely focused on the food.” I said, unscrewing the lid and handing the applesauce to Emma.

While Emma fed Riley, we talked about how things were going with Samuel’s case.

“His trial is set for two weeks from now. He got discharged from the hospital after two weeks of recovery. He’s being held back in Iron Heights without bail, but he’s in solitary so that nobody else can stab him.” I said, digging out a pack of baby wipes from Riley’s bag.

“I’m sorry I’ve put you through so much, Roy.” Emma said, wiping the last of the applesauce off Riley’s face.

I took Emma’s hand in mine, looking into her tired blue-grey eyes.

“Emma Marie Maxwell, none of this is your fault. You did what you believed was right by treating Samuel and that is something that nobody can ever hold against you. What Samuel has done to you is in no way your fault. Everything he’s done, he’s done on his own accord. Not yours.” I said, meaning every word.

“Thank you.” she said, smiling softly up at me.

Our moment was interrupted when Riley started to cry. I pulled a fresh diaper out of the diaper bag and laid a blanket down on Emma’s bed. I quickly changed my daughter’s diaper and got her dressed again as efficiently as I could.

“There you go, lovebug.” I said, setting her back down on the bed.

Nurse Hailey walked in and started checking Emma’s vitals.

“How long until I get discharged? I have to get back to work.”

“Emma, you just woke up.” I said.

“I’d have to ask Dr. Kryo. I don’t think you’ll be going home today though.” Hailey said.

“I figured, but I thought I’d ask anyway.” Emma said, sighing.

“It’s okay, babe. We all just want what’s best for you.” I said, kissing her hand.

Hailey nodded and wrote down Emma’s vitals before leaving.

“You called me ‘babe’.” Emma said, looking over at me.

“I did? I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. It’s okay. I don’t mind at all.”

“Roy, I’ve done a lot of thinking and I’ve decided that I’m finally ready.”

“Ready for what?” I asked, confused.

“If you’ll still have me, I’d like to be in a relationship with you.” Emma said, her voice holding a hint of nervousness.

“Emma, of course I’ll still have you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to comment and leave critiques!

Emma’s P.O.V.

“I still can’t believe we’re doing this.” I said, blowing a piece of hair out of my face as I set down the box I had been carrying.

Roy laughed and kissed my forehead, tucking my hair behind my ear before pulling me to his chest in a sweet kiss. I kissed him back, enjoying the safe feeling that enveloped me.

“You practically live here anyway. I just wanted to make it official.” Roy said.

It had been a little over three weeks since I had been discharged from the hospital and Roy and I had decided to officially move in together. I had been switching between staying with Roy and staying in an apartment that I had rented for a few weeks until I found a house.

“I’m happy that it will be official. It will be nice to be closer to you and Riley.” I said, pulling out a framed photo of the three of us.

We stood there, looking at the photo. It had been taken at a party for Palmer Tech, so Roy was in a suit while I was in a floor length red dress. Riley was in a dress that was similar to mine. A photographer had been taking pictures of people interacting and had caught Roy and I mid-laugh. Roy was bent over slightly and my head was tilted back in pure laughter while Riley was tucked in my arms, grinning up at Roy.

“I love this photo of us.” Roy said.

“We look like a family.” I said.

“We are a family.”

I kissed him softly before pushing him away and headed to grab the last box from the back of my car. When I had brought it in, Roy was almost done unpacking the first box. There was a soft cry over the baby monitor as I set the last box down on the coffee table.

“I’ve got her.” I said.

“Thanks. I’ll keep unpacking.” Roy said, kissing my cheek as I walked past him.

I headed upstairs and opened the door to Riley’s room. She was sitting up in her crib, her stuffed whale sitting next to her.

“Hey there, lovebug! Did you have a good nap?” I asked, flicking on the light and opening the blinds.

“Mama!” Riley screeched, reaching up for me.

“Roy, come here!” I yelled.

I heard Roy’s footsteps racing up the stairs and he burst into the room.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked, worried.

“She called me ‘mama’. Riley called me ‘mama’.” I said, tears spilling down my cheeks.

Roy pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back.

“You are basically her mom, Ems. Please don’t cry.” he whispered, pressing his lips into my hair.

“I’m sorry. I just dreamed of this moment happening with Noah and now it’s happening with Riley. I’m so happy.” I said.

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad this makes you happy.” Roy said.

He let me go and picked Riley up out of her crib. He changed her diaper while I picked out a clean outfit for her. We tag-teamed it while getting her dressed. I held her while Roy put on her shirt and he held her while I stuffed her chubby legs into a pair of baby jeans.

“There. All dressed and ready to go to Uncle Oliver and Aunt Felicity’s.” I said, balancing the baby on my hip and tossing her pajamas into the hamper.

“Are we still going to that gala tonight?” Roy asked, following me downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Yes. It’s a big deal. I’m presenting an award to one of the neurosurgeons.” I said, pulling a bottle down from the shelf.

“Do I have to wear a suit?”

“Babe, if I have to wear a fancy dress then you’re wearing a suit.” I said, pressing a kiss to his lips.

I dumped a few scoops of formula into the bottle with my free hand before adding water to the bottle. Roy screwed the lid on and shook it while I settled Riley on the couch so that she was propped up against a bunch of pillows. I tucked the bottle into Riley’s mouth and held it with one hand while I answered my ringing phone with the other.

“Emma, it’s Captain Lance.”

“Hey, Captain Lance. What’s going on?” I asked.

“I was just wondering if you’d heard from your father lately.”

“No, sorry. I haven’t seen him since he kicked me out of the house. Why? Is everything okay?”

“He’s missing. Your mother called us yesterday saying that he hadn’t come home.”

“Knowing my father, he’s probably off screwing his secretary.” I said, putting my phone on speaker and setting it on the coffee table.

“Emma, this is serious. We’ve checked everywhere your mother could think of. He didn’t even make it to work yesterday. He may have been kidnapped.” Captain Lance said.

“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll see if the team can start looking into it. Have you talked to Laurel yet?” I asked.

“No, I haven’t. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Okay, thank you. I’ll talk to her then. Thank you, Captain Lance. We’ll keep you updated.”

“Sounds good. Bye, Emma.”

I hung up and sighed, leaning back into the couch. Roy came over and stood behind me, massaging my shoulders.

“What’s going on, baby?” he asked.

“Captain Lance thinks my father has been kidnapped. I still think he’s off screwing some prostitute.” I said, pulling the empty bottle out of Riley’s mouth.

“Maybe you should try calling him.” Roy suggested, taking Riley and setting her on the carpet next to her stuffed whale.

I dialed my dad’s number on my phone and waited for it to ring.

“It went straight to voicemail.” I said, ending the call.

“Do you want to get the team involved?”

“I’m going to head over to the lair and see what I can dig up. I’ll take Riley with me. Can you go pick up my dress from the dry cleaners and bring it over to the lair with you incase I don’t have time to come back here and change before the gala? I’ll just bring Riley’s stuff and my shoes with me.”

“Sure. Are you sure you want to take Riley with you?” Roy asked, taking the empty bottle into the kitchen.

“Yeah. I need her moral support right now.” I said, scooping up the baby and kissing her cheeks as she giggled.

“Alright. I’ll see you at the campaign office then. I love you.”

“I love you too.” I said, kissing him deeply.

I went upstairs and set Riley on the floor of her room while I packed her baby bag and grabbed my heels and makeup bag. I tossed some bobby pins and my curling iron along with my wallet and phone.

“Are you ready to find some bad guys with mommy?” I asked, scooping Riley up off the floor and tossing her blanket over my shoulder.

“Mama!”

“That’s right, lovebug.”

I headed downstairs and handed Riley to Roy while I tossed everything in the car. When I came back in, Roy had buckled Riley into her carseat.

“Thanks, babe. I’ll see you in a few hours. We need to be at the venue by 8 at the latest.” I said, wrapping my arms around my boyfriend’s waist.

“I’ll be at the lair by 7:15. I love you. Good luck. Call me if you need me, okay?”

“I will. I love you too.” I said, pressing a sweet kiss to Roy’s lips before grabbing Riley and heading out the door.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an extra long chapter for you all! Please feel free to comment and critique!

“You can’t be serious.” Oliver said, standing in his campaign office with his hands on his hips.

“I’m dead serious, Oliver. I don’t care what you think. I’m doing it. Now move.” I said, pushing past him and getting into the elevator.

“Emma. You can’t take Riley down there.” Oliver protested, getting into the elevator with me.

“Ollie. She’s a baby. She’s not going to tell anyone. The worst think that happens is she drools on your floor. You’ll get over it.” I said, pressing the button to close the doors.

Oliver sighed and gave in, kissing Riley’s forehead. She reached out for him and he took her from my arms, smiling a little when Riley ran her hands over his facial hair.

“Are you and Felicity still able to babysit tonight?” I asked as the doors opened and we entered the lair.

“Yeah, of course. Felicity is so excited.” Oliver said, sitting in one of the rolling chairs.

I set all of Riley’s things on one of the tables before heading over to the computers. I pulled up Felicity’s phone tracking program and put in my father’s number. Nothing. I tried calling his phone again. It went straight to voicemail. I started running facial recognition alongside the traffic cameras to see if he had been anywhere around Starling. Still nothing.

“Damn it!” I yelled, raking my fingers through my hair in frustration.

“Woah. What’s going on?” Oliver asked, coming over and setting Riley on my lap.

“My dad is missing. He didn’t make it to work yesterday and now my mom is convinced he’s been kidnapped. I can’t get a location on his phone or any traffic cameras around the city.” 

“I’ll call Felicity and see what she can do. We’ll find him, Emma.” Oliver said, gently squeezing my shoulder.

“Thank you.” I whispered.

Oliver pulled out his phone and called Felicity while I stood up and started pacing back and forth, rocking Riley in my arms.

“Felicity is on her way. She’ll be here in 20 minutes.” Oliver said, setting his phone on the desk.

I pulled Riley’s blanket out of her bag and wrapped the now sleeping infant in it before setting her in her carseat. After Riley was secure, I grabbed my bow and a handful of arrows before handing Oliver a basket of tennis balls. He threw them into the air, one by one, and I shot each one, pinning them to the wall.

“I wasn’t aware I was being brought here to observe target practice.” Felicity said, setting her bag down.

“Hey, Felicity. Thank you for coming.” I said, putting my bow away.

“Of course. Anything to help.” Felicity said, hugging me tightly.

“I’ve tried tracing his phone and searched all of the traffic cameras in Starling City over the past 12 hours, but I didn’t get anything.” I said, checking on Riley.

“Okay. That’s okay. I’ll run a few programs and make some calls. I’ll have Thea and Diggle hit the streets. Do you have a current picture of your dad?” Felicity asked.

“There’s bound to be a few on the Internet.” I said, grabbing a bottle from Riley’s baby bag and shaking it.

“I’ll start looking. We’ll find him, Emma. I promise.” Felicity said, sitting down at her computer.

Riley woke up just as I sat down to call my mother.

“Hello, sweet lovebug.” I said, settling her in my arms and sticking the bottle in her mouth.

While Riley drank, I pulled my phone out and dialed my mom’s number.

“Hello?” she answered, sounding exhausted.

“Hey, Mom. It’s Emma.” I said, repositioning Riley.

“Emma! How are you?” she asked.

“I’m fine. I heard about Mark.” I said.

“Emma, he’s still your father. You don’t have to call him Mark.” my mom said.

“No, he isn’t. He stopped being my father the moment he kicked me out of the house. I have some friends working on finding him and I am in contact with the person in charge of his case. I was just calling to see how you’re doing.”

“I’m okay, honey. I just wish you’d come visit.”

“I’d rather not. I’ll let you know if we make any progress on Mark’s case. Goodbye, Mom.” 

“Goodbye, sweetheart.” she replied.

I hung up and tossed my phone onto the table.

“That sounded like it went well.” Oliver said, kissing my forehead.

I made a face at Oliver and threw Riley’s empty bottle at him. He caught it and rinsed it out before tossing it back in the baby bag.

“Diggle and Laurel found your dad’s cellphone. It was in a trashcan in the Glades. What would your dad being doing there?” Felicity asked.

“My dad wouldn’t be caught dead in the Glades. If there was ever anything he needed from there, he’d have an assistant go get it.” I said, standing next to Felicity and looking over her shoulder at her computer screen.”

“Then this means one of two things.” Oliver said, massaging Felicity’s shoulder absentmindedly.

“Either he went to the Glades and tossed his cellphone so nobody could trace him or he was kidnapped and they tossed his phone so nobody could trace him.” I said, sliding my back down the leg of the table and sitting on the floor.

Oliver crouched down next to me and hugged me close, being careful not to squish Riley.

“Emma, we’re going to find him. I promise.” he whispered, kissing my temple softly.

I just turned my face into Oliver’s shoulder and cried. I felt him move so he was sitting besides me and Felicity took Riley from me as Oliver pulled me to his chest. I heard Felicity talking quietly to someone as I continued to sob uncontrollably into my best friend’s shirt.

“I’ve got her.” I heard a familiar voice whisper.

I felt a second pair of hands wrap around my waist and I was pulled onto Roy’s lap. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and buried my face into his neck. He rubbed my back and whispered sweet nothings in my ear as I cried.

“It’s okay, baby. I love you so much. We are all here for you.” Roy whispered, his lips brushing my temple.

A few minutes later, I managed to stop crying. I took a few deep breaths, but refused to move from my boyfriend’s lap. I heard Oliver and Felicity talking quietly by the elevators and I heard footsteps as Oliver walked over. A cup of coffee was set on the floor next to me.

“Thank you.” I whispered, gingerly unwrapping myself from Roy.

“Of course.” Oliver said, wiping a stray tear from my cheek.

I took a sip of the coffee and sighed as my tense muscles relaxed.

“Do you still want to go to that gala tonight?” Roy asked, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

“Yeah, I need to go. We don’t have to stay until the end though.” I said, pushing myself up off the floor.

Felicity was sitting in her chair, spoon-feeding Riley a container of pureed bananas. I kissed Riley on the forehead before grabbing my dress and heading to the corner to change. I unzipped the floor-length grey dress and stepped into it, pulling the beaded bodice up and holding it to my chest.

“Babe, can you come zip me in?” I called.

Roy came over and tugged the zipped up, his fingers brushing my spine. I shivered as my skin broke into goosebumps. I felt his soft lips press against my neck and my head fell back to his shoulder.

“Hey! Keep it PG-13! There’s a baby present!” I heard a voice yell.

I turned and saw Cisco standing there, holding a large box.

“Cisco? What are you doing here?” I asked, running over and hugging him as he set down the box.

“I came to drop off a few things for Felicity to help with the computer processing power.” he explained.

I smiled understandingly before grabbing my grey heels and sitting down to strap them on. Once that was done, Laurel curled my hair while I put on my makeup. When she was done curling it, I braided back a strand on either side and connected to two braids with a bobby pin.

“You look incredible.” Roy said, kissing my forehead.

“Thank you. Are you ready to go?” I asked, straightening his bowtie that he had put on while I was doing my hair.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” he replied.

I laughed and kissed his cheek before heading over to Oliver and Riley.

“Are you sure you’re good to take her for the night?” I asked.

“Absolutely. We’ll be fine. Go have fun at your gala.” Oliver said.

I took Riley and hugged her tightly, kissing her chubby little cheeks before passing her off to Roy who did the same. When he was done, he handed our daughter back to Oliver and we headed towards the elevator.

“Good luck!” Felicity shouted over her shoulder as the elevator doors closed.

Roy and I rode the elevator up to Oliver’s campaign office in a comfortable silence. When the doors opened, Roy took my hand and squeezed it gently as we walked out to my car. As we drove, my nerves began to grow. This gala was a big deal. There were going to be a lot of very important people there and the awards they were giving out weren’t participation medals.

“Baby, stop worrying. You’ll be amazing.” Roy said, softly rubbing my thigh.

I shot him a smile, which he returned with confidence. We pulled up to the venue and Roy gave me a quick kiss before handing my keys to the valet and pulling me towards the stairs.

“Doctor Maxwell! Welcome!”

We turned and saw Dr. Kryo making his way towards us.

“Hello, Doctor Kryo!” I replied, shaking his hand.

He shook Roy’s hand as well before signaling a nearby waiter to brink us drinks.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Kryo asked, handing Roy and I each a glass of champagne.

“I’m doing well, thank you.” I responded, taking a small sip of my drink.

“That’s good to hear! I saw you’re presenting an award this evening. Are you nervous?”

“A little.” I admitted.

I felt Roy’s thumb gently rubbing circles on my hip as his hand snaked around my waist. I smiled inwardly, knowing that Roy was feeling a spark of jealousy towards Dr. Kryo.

“And how’s that little sweetheart doing? Riley, isn’t it?”

“Riley is great. She’s happy and healthy. She loves being around all of our friends and she loves all of Roy’s coworkers.” I said, wrapping my arm around Roy’s waist, running my fingers along his lower back.

“Speaking of Riley, we should probably call the babysitter and check in.” Roy said, taking my hand in his and pulling me away from Dr. Kryo.

He pulled me out of the ballroom and down a hallway. He pushed open the door to an empty meeting room and pulled me in before shutting the door and locking it behind us.

“You cannot tease me like that in front of your coworkers.” he whispered deeply, his lips connecting with my neck.

“Maybe it was just payback for earlier.” I whispered back, my head leaning against the wall.

Roy chuckled softly against my skin, his lips never losing contact. He continued kissing me until I reluctantly pushed him away.

“We can do whatever you want, as soon as this gala is over.” I whispered, kissing him deeply.

Roy groaned loudly. I laughed and kissed his cheek before taking his hand and pulling him back to the ballroom. When we got there, everyone was finding their seats at the multitude of round tables. We found our table among some of my coworkers from the surgery unit.

As the people on stage spoke about their achievements, Roy and I laughed with my coworkers about some of our failures and our favorite patients. A little while later, it was my turn to go up on stage to present an award to one of our neurosurgeons.

“Good luck, baby. I love you.” Roy said, giving me a quick kiss.

“I love you too.”

I made my way up on stage and waited for a moment for everyone to quiet down.

“Good evening, everyone. My name is Dr. Emma Maxwell and I am a general surgery fellow. When I first came to this hospital, the first operation I ever performed here I did with this amazing neurosurgeon. Not only do they carry themselves with grace and dignity, but they have a way with patients that most doctors can only dream to achieve. I would like to recognize the incredible Doctor Jared Geraghty with the award for performing the most life-saving procedures with the highest success rate. Congratulations, Dr. Geraghty.”

The room burst into applause as Dr. Geraghty walked on stage to accept his award. I handed him the glass piece and shook his hand before heading back down to Roy.

“You did so well, my love. I’m very proud of you.” he said, kissing my forehead.

“Thanks, babe.” I said, leaning into his kiss.

“I hate to break up the love-fest, but they’re about to announce another award and I think I might be up for this one.” Dr. Kryo said loudly.

I felt Roy stiffen beside me, but I entwined my fingers with his and squeezed gently.

“This next award is easily the most noble and important award the board gives. This award is for being brave, yet avoiding recklessness, in times of crisis. One of our doctors will be receiving this international award this evening. Would Doctor Emma Maxwell please come on stage?”

I froze. They couldn’t be serious. This had to be a joke. The Adamson Award was for extremely prestigious doctors who had achieved way more in a year than I could in my entire life.

“That’s you, Ems. Go get your award.” Roy said, pushing me gently towards the stage.

I made my way numbly up the steps and onto the stage.

“Doctor Maxwell was faced with an impossible choice a few months ago. Either she could treat a man who had hurt her years ago but she knew a lot about, or she could transfer him to a doctor who didn’t know anything about the patient and avoid the emotional pain. She chose to treat him and got gravely injured in the process. Yet somehow, after being in a coma for two months, Dr. Maxwell found the strength to come back to work and she has since saved every possible life she could. Let’s give her a hand for her incredible work!”

My hands were shaking as I took the award from my boss, emotional tears welling in my eyes. I shook his hand and accepted his hug before retreating back to my table with Roy.

“Babe, are you okay?” Roy asked, taking my hand in his and squeezing.

I looked up at Roy with tears still in my eyes.

“Roy, I don’t deserve this award.” I whispered, sitting down in my seat.

“Why don’t you think you deserve this award, Emma?” Dr. Geraghty asked, coming to stand beside me.

“There are so many other doctors in this hospital and in hospitals around the world that deserve this award so much more than I do. I haven’t done anything special. Yeah, I was in a coma. Yeah, I chose to treat my abusive ex instead of turning him away and potentially letting him die. So what? What part of that is heroic and deserving of this award?” I asked, my voice growing with frustration.

“Emma, baby, take a deep breath. You deserve this award just as much as any other brilliant doctor. Not only for the reasons that Dr. Geraghty listed, but also because you are an incredible person. You didn’t let the fact that you faced potential danger get in the way of treating a patient. You went above and beyond for someone who didn’t deserve it. That’s why you deserve this award.” Roy said, looking me in the eyes.

I took a deep breath and nodded, deciding it wasn’t worth the argument. I still felt guilty for accepting the award, but I was beginning to understand why it was given to me.

“I’m ready to go whenever you are. I have a promise to fulfill.” I whispered in Roy’s ear.

“Oh damn. Is that really the time? Babe, we need to go. We only have the babysitter until 11.” Roy said, standing up and shaking Dr. Geraghty’s hand.

“Oh shoot. What a bummer.” I said, standing as well and shaking hands and hugging my coworkers.

We said our goodbyes and I took Roy’s hand in mine, entwining our fingers. As we waited for the valet, Roy buried his face in my hair and exhaled deeply.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, pulling back and searching his eyes.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m just so happy right now.” Roy said, smiling down at me.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to comment and critique!

I woke up the next morning with my head on Roy’s bare chest, his arms wrapped around me, and one of his legs tossed over mine. I had forgotten how much of a cuddle-bug he was.

“Good morning.” he whispered, pressing a kiss into my hair.

I sighed happily and gently kissing his collarbone. We stayed cuddled together for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. It had been a long time since we had just been together.

“Oliver texted this morning and said that he and Felicity are making pancakes for breakfast if we want to go over there and eat with them.” Roy said quietly.

“That sounds like fun as long as Oliver is the one cooking. I miss Riley.” I replied, snuggling into the love of my life.

“I’m glad she wasn’t here last night though. Last night was fun with just the two of us.”

“Yes it was.”

I took a deep breath and forced myself to push the blankets away and sit up.

“Nooooooooo.” Roy protested, pulling me back down to him.

“Babe, we have to get up. Riley is waiting for us.” I said, kissing him softly.

Roy groaned and released me, allowing me to get out of bed. I felt his eyes searching my half-clothed body.

“Enjoying the view?” I asked, grabbing a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt.

“Absolutely.”

“Well enjoy it quickly because this view is going to take a shower.” I said, slipping into the bathroom and locking the door behind me.

“I love you!” I heard Roy yell.

“I love you too!” I yelled back before turning on the shower.

After Roy and I had both showered and gotten dressed, we headed over to Oliver and Felicity’s house. When we got there, Oliver was just finishing flipping the first batch of pancakes and Felicity was sitting on the counter with Riley in her highchair next to her.

“Good morning!” Felicity said cheerfully, hugging Roy and I.

“Hey! How was she last night?” Roy asked, kissing the top of Riley’s head.

“She was great. She only woke up once and Oliver got up and gave her a bottle. She went right back to sleep.”

“I’m glad she was good for you guys. Thanks again for watching her overnight. Roy and I really needed that time together.” I said, handing Oliver a plate to pile the pancakes onto.

Oliver finished the first batch of pancakes and began to let another round cook while Roy and I set the table. Felicity filled a pitcher with maple syrup and set the butter on the table.

“The last one is almost finished. Is everyone ready to eat?” Oliver asked, flipping the final pancake.

We all nodded and I scooped formula into a bottle while Roy tossed a cut up banana into the blender. Once the banana had been blended to the consistency of applesauce, Roy poured it into a bowl and stuck a baby spoon in it.

“Homemade baby food. How domestic of you.” I teased, kissing his cheek.

He smacked my butt and made a face at me in return.

“Hey. Keep your hands to yourself.” Oliver said, glaring at Roy.

“Shut up, Ollie.” I said, laughing.

I playfully punched Oliver in the shoulder as he flipped the last pancake onto the plate. We all sat down and started eating, Roy and I alternating between eating our own food and feeding our daughter.

“Thank you for having us over for breakfast. These pancakes are amazing.” I said, spearing my last bite with my fork.

“Of course. Who wants to do dishes?” Felicity asked, standing up.

“I actually wanted to talk to Emma for a few minutes. I’ll do dishes tonight?” Oliver suggested.

“I’m holding you to that.” Felicity said, starting to clear the table.

Oliver kissed her sweetly before pulling me into the living room and heading upstairs. We went to Oliver’s office and he shut the door behind him.

“What’s going on, Ollie?” I asked, a little nervous.

“We got a lead on your dad after you left last night. Laurel found a guy in the Glades that recognized your dad’s photo. The man said that your dad sat in the car while two men went into the gas station to buy cigarettes and beer.”

“This just keeps getting better and better.” I said, running my hands over my face.

“Emma, we’ll figure out what’s going on. Laurel and Thea are working on locating the car that your father was in and then we’ll put a tracker on it and try to get access to his phone calls. We’re going to figure this out.” Oliver said.

I shook my head and sat in Oliver’s desk chair, my head in my hands. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream and throw things or cry and eat a pan of brownies.

“Ollie, I don’t know what to do. It’s obvious that he’s mixed up with something, but I’m not sure I want to know what. What am I supposed to do if I find out he’s some kind of murderer? How am I supposed to deal with that?”

“We’ll work through it together. You have a strong support system, Emma.” Oliver said.

“I know, I know. I just really don’t need this right now. I’m happy, Oliver. I have everything I ever wanted. I have Roy and the paperwork for me to become Riley’s mom just got approved. I’m a mom and a doctor with an incredible man by my side. I have an amazing support system. I can’t do this, Ollie.” I said, standing up and pacing the floor.

“Emma, look at me. We are going to get through this. We are going to figure out what is going on with your father and then we’ll go from there.”

I sighed and nodded before leaving the room and heading back downstairs. I grabbed my phone and jacket and walked out the front door.

“Emma, where are you going?” Roy yelled after me.

“I’m going to find my dad.” I said, zipping my blue windbreaker and shoving my hands in my pockets.

“Emma, wait! We’ll get the team together and come with you.” Roy said, already pulling on his jacket.

I turned around and walked back to Roy.

“Stop. I’m just going to go for a walk and call some people who have helped me in the past. Nothing dangerous. I promise.” I said.

“Can Riley and I at least come with you? Please?” Roy asked, his eyes pleading.

I sighed and nodded, knowing that it was the better choice for everyone. I pulled the baby carrier out of Riley’s bag and strapped it to my chest. Roy helped maneuver Riley’s legs into the holes and I held her close while he tightened the straps. He handed me a Riley’s favorite blue blanket and I tucked it around her little body while Roy zipped his jacket.

“Ready?” I asked, tucking my phone into my pocket.

“Yeah. We’ll be back in a little bit to grab Riley’s stuff.” Roy said to Oliver and Felicity.

“Sounds good. Stay safe.” Oliver said, wrapping his arm around Felicity’s waist and pulling her to his side.

“We will.” I promised, closing the door behind us.

We walked down the street, hand in hand, my free hand stroking Riley’s hair absentmindedly. As we walked, I pulled out my phone and called a few old friends. None of them had seen or heard anything about my father.

“Roy, I don’t know what else to do.” I said, fighting back tears.

“Come here, baby.” he said, stopping and holding out his arms to me.

I stepped forward, letting him wrap me in his arms. I took deep breaths, the soft smell of his detergent and cologne calming me. Roy just held me for a few minutes, Riley gently sandwiched between us.

“We are going to find your dad, Emma.”

“I’m not sure I want to find him.” I whispered, pulling away.

“Why wouldn’t you want to find him?” Roy asked, confusion coloring his expression.

“I don’t want to know what he’s tied up in. It’s something bad, Roy. I can feel it.” I said.

“Emma, you can sit this out and the rest of us can handle it. I’ll keep you updated as much or as little as you’d like.” Roy offered.

“No. I appreciate the offer, but no. I can’t just walk away from this. I’ve walked away from too many things and I will not let this be one of them.”

Roy nodded understandingly and we continued our walk. We stopped at a coffee shop about two miles away from Oliver and Felicity’s house.

“What do you want?” Roy asked, pulling out his wallet.

“I’m not really feeling coffee. Water is fine.” I said, swaying side to side in an attempt to keep Riley asleep.

“Emma, you never pass up coffee. Coffee has been your biggest addiction, besides doctor shows, since high school. Are you feeling okay? Are you sick?”

“I’m fine. I just really don’t want coffee right now. I’m going to go change Riley.” I said, heading to the restroom.

I changed Riley’s diaper as quickly as possible and strapped her back to my chest. I kissed her forehead and rocked side to side for a few minutes until she settled back to sleep. I sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs and waited for Roy.

“Here you go.” Roy said, handing me a bottle of water.

“Thank you.” I said, unscrewing the cap and taking a small sip.

“Emma, I know you said you’re fine but it just isn’t like you to not want coffee. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. The idea of coffee just makes me a little nauseous right now. I think I’m just coming down with a stomach bug or something.” I said.

Roy nodded and took a long drink of his coffee. We drank in a comfortable silence until my phone rang.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Emma, it’s Captain Lance. We found your dad.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave comments and critiques!

“You found my dad?”

“Yes. We found him in an abandoned apartment complex in the Glades. He was taken by a group of men who worked at a competing law firm that your father’s firm just bought out. He’s in the ICU in critical condition.”

I couldn’t say anything. My father had just been conducting business. He didn’t do anything wrong.

“Emma, are you there?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m here. I just don’t know what to say.”

“We have the men who kidnapped him in custody. They’re going away for a long time. I know you and him aren’t on the best of terms right now, but I really think you should go visit your father. He needs you right now.” Captain Lance said.

“He wasn’t there when I needed him the most. Why should I be there for him now?” I asked.

“Emma, sweetie, there’s something you should know. When we were interrogating the men who took Mark, they had videoed them torturing him. He kept repeating ‘Please don’t kill me. I have a wife and daughter. My daughter needs me. I can’t leave this earth until she knows I love her. Please tell my daughter I love her and I’m sorry.’ These men were beating him within an inch of his life and all he wanted was enough time to call you and tell you he loved you. I can’t force you to go see him, but I really think you should. I’ve got to get back to work, but know that you can always call me if you have questions or just need to talk.”

I thanked Captain Lance and ended the call, shoving my phone back into my pocket. I filled Roy in on what Captain Lance had said as we finished our drinks.

“Wow. That’s a lot to process. What can I do to help?” Roy asked.

“Just knowing that you’re here for me is enough. If there comes a time when I need someone to talk to about it, I’ll let you know.”

“I love you.” Roy whispered, kissing my forehead.

“I love you too.”

We tossed our cups and headed back towards Oliver and Felicity’s house. When we got there, Roy filled them in on the news about my dad while I unstrapped Riley from the carrier and made her a bottle.

“Hey.” I heard Felicity say quietly.

I looked up from Riley and saw her standing in the doorway of the living room, holding a small box.

“Hi.” I replied, motioning for her to come sit next to me on the couch.

“I was saving this for your birthday, but I it might hold more value now.” she said, taking Riley from me and handing me the box.

I carefully tore away the wrapping paper, revealing a small, wooden jewelry box. I opened it and found a necklace. There was a dime-sized pendant on a thin silver chain. There was an ‘R’ engraved on the front of the pendant and a tiny arrow etched into the back.

“Felicity, it’s perfect.” I said, pulling it free of the cushioning.

“The ‘R’ can stand for both Riley and Roy and the arrow symbolizes your strength and heroism.” Felicity explained, helping me to put it on.

The pendant rested softly on my chest and I hugged Felicity tightly.

“Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.”

We both headed back into the kitchen where Roy and Oliver were deep in conversation. Felicity washed Riley’s bottle while I packed the rest of her things in the baby bag.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to get going. If you want to stay and keep talking, I can just take a taxi and you can take my car.” I said to Roy.

“No, it’s okay. We’re done talking. Just let me grab my jacket.”

“Emma, can I talk to you for a second?” Oliver asked, standing up from the table.

“Yeah, of course.” I said.

Felicity took Riley and headed to the living room, switching on the TV.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I just got a phone call from Captain Lance. Your dad went into cardiac arrest. They shocked him back, but things aren’t looking too good. His body is shutting down.”

“This can’t be happening. This can’t be real.” I said, shaking my head.

“Emma…” Oliver started.

“No. Just no. I have to go.” I said.

I went back to the living room and buckled Riley into her carseat. I thanked Oliver and Felicity and headed out to the car. Roy offered to drive, but I declined. I immediately headed to the hospital. When we got there, Roy had just opened his door by the time I had grabbed Riley and her bag from the backseat.

“Emma, are you sure you want to do this right now? You seem pretty upset.” Roy said as I pressed the elevator call button.

“I have to see him before he dies, Roy. Time isn’t exactly on my side.” I said, more harshly than I intended.

I saw a flash of pain in his eyes and I opened my mouth to apologize, but he shook his head.

“It’s okay. You’re stressed. I know you didn’t mean for it to come out so harshly.” Roy said, kissing me gently.

The elevator doors opened and we headed up to my dad’s room. When we got there, I found my mom sitting at his bedside, holding his hand. My dad was asleep, his face and body covered in cuts and bruises. He was hooked up to multiple monitors and IVs.

“Hey.” I whispered.

My mom looked up and smiled at me, her normally bright eyes dulled with pain and grief. She looked like hell. I had never seen my mom look anything less than perfect. She stood and I hugged her tightly, letting her cry into my shoulder.

“I’m glad you decided to come.” she said, letting me go.

“Me too.”

My mom looked over my shoulder and saw Roy standing in the doorway, holding Riley.

“Roy Harper. It’s been awhile since I saw you last.” my mom said, moving towards him.

“Mom, Roy and I are back together. I know that you never really approved of him when we were dating in high school, but I promise to you that he’s changed and we’re happier than ever.” I said, moving to stand next to Roy.

“I’m happy for you two.” my mom said, smiling.

She embraced Roy before looking to Riley, confusion evident on her face.

“This is Riley. I fostered her and then adopted her. Her mom died and her dad was murdered. Emma and I are raising her together.” Roy explained.

“I just adopted her as well. She’s our daughter and your granddaughter. You’re a grandmother.” I said, watching how my mom would react.

A bright smile broke across my mom’s face. Roy held the baby out to her and she settled her in her arms like an old pro. I watched as my mom fell under my daughter’s spell.

“Emma?” a voice croaked behind me.

I turned and saw that my dad was awake. I went to his bedside and sat in the chair that my mom had previously occupied.

“Hi.” I said, hesitantly taking his hand in mine.

“Emma, sweetheart, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I am so sorry.” he said, tears spilling down his cheeks.

“I know, Dad. I know. It’s okay. I love you.” I said, fighting back tears of my own.

“I love you so much.” he said, gripping my hand tightly.

We just sat there for a second, searching each others’ eyes, exchanging silent apologies and forgiveness. After a little while, Roy brought over Riley and my dad got a chance to cuddle with her for a bit. He was so excited that he was finally a grandfather. Roy took Riley back and changed her diaper and fed her while my dad and I caught up.

“I’m so glad you came to see me. I love you so much, Emma.” he said, kissing my forehead.

I smiled and hugged him gently, being careful of the wires and his IV lines. I felt his body go limp and I pulled back to see what was happening. My dad was unconscious and the heart monitor was going crazy.

“Dad?” I asked, using my knuckles to rub his sternum.

Nothing.

“He’s going into cardiac arrest!” I screamed, slamming the ‘CODE BLUE’ button on the wall above his bed.

I started CPR compressions as the room filled with the trauma team made up of my colleagues.

“Give me the paddles!” I yelled.

One of the nurses squeezed blue gel onto the paddles and handed them to me. She charged them and I pressed them to my dad’s body.

“Clear!” I screamed.

My father’s body convulsed with the force of the shock. I looked at the heart monitor. No change.

“Charge to 200!” I ordered.

The nurse did what I asked and I shocked him again. And again. And again.

“Come on!” I yelled.

The nurses and doctors around me slowly stopped moving.

“NO! Don’t you dare give up on him!”

“Doctor Maxwell, he’s gone.”

“NO!”

“Doctor, it’s no use.”

“I SAID NO!” I screamed as I tossed away the paddles and resumed CPR.

“Emma.”

I looked up and saw Roy standing next to me.

“I am not giving up on him!”

I felt Roy’s arms wrap around me and pull me away from my father’s body. I struggled, trying to get away so I could continue CPR, but he pulled me to his chest and I just broke. My heart completely shattered and I lost it. I cried harder than I had ever cried before. Roy held me tightly as I sobbed. My mom was in the corner, holding Riley, standing in shock. Silent tears ran down her face.

“Time of death: 4:57 p.m.” I heard someone say.

Those words pushed me completely over the edge. I pushed Roy away and I ran. I ran down the stairs and outside. I had no idea where I was going. I just ran.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to comment and critique!

I ran all the way to the house and immediately started throwing things into a suitcase. I was almost finished when Roy came bursting through the front door.

“Emma?” he called, his voice panicked.

I didn’t say anything. I just kept tossing clothes into the suitcase, making a little more noise so that he would know I was home. Sure enough, he came racing into the room a few moments later.

“What are you doing?” he asked, confusion coloring his voice.

“I’m going back to Central City. I shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Everyone is getting hurt since I got back. You got shot, I was in a coma, my dad is gone. Everyone is getting hurt because of me!”

“Emma Marie Maxwell. Stop and look at me.” Roy demanded, putting his hands over mine.

I dropped the shirt that was in my hands and looked at Roy.

“Emma, if you really want to go back to Central City then I will support and love you through that. But I want you to know that none of this was your fault. You have done so much to help so many people, even when they didn’t deserve it. Don’t you dare say that all of this was your fault.”

I reached up and pressed my fingers lightly against Roy’s cheek. He leaned into my hand and sighed.

“I love you.” I whispered.

“I love you too.”

We stood in silence for a minute before the moment was shattered by the sound of the doorbell. I went downstairs and opened the front door to reveal Barry standing there, a bouquet of slightly windblown pink carnations in his hand.

“Hey, Barry.”

Barry didn’t say a word. He just pulled me into a tight hug. When we broke away from each other, he kissed my forehead softly before turning and hugging Roy for a moment.

“Roy called me and told me your dad was in the hospital. I came as fast as I could.” Barry explained.

“He’s not in the hospital anymore. He died about an hour ago.” I said.

“Emma, I’m so sorry. If you need anything, I’m here for you.” Barry said, looking me in the eyes.

“Thank you.” I said.

“Emma, baby, do you still want to move back to Central City?” Roy asked.

I looked at him and I could see the fear in his eyes. He was so scared that I would up and leave him and Riley. I couldn’t do that to my daughter and the love of my life.

“No. I’m going to stay here. I’m just going to need some time to move on from this.” I said.

“Of course. Anything you need. We are all here for you.” Roy said.

“Ems, I have to get going. If you need me, I will be here as soon as I possibly can. Call me anytime.” Barry said, pulling me into another hug.

I hugged him back as Roy opened the front door for him. Barry left and Roy and I looked at each other.

“Where’s the baby?” I asked, suddenly realizing that Roy didn’t have her with him.

“I left her with your mom at the hospital. She said she would bring her by in a little while. I was going to bring her with me, but your mom seemed to need the company.” Roy said.

“Okay. I’m going to make some lunch. Do you want anything?” I asked.

“A sandwich sounds incredible right now. Let me make you one.” Roy said.

“No, it’s fine. I need to do something.”

Roy nodded understandingly and followed me into the kitchen, sitting on the counter while I pulled ingredients out of the fridge. While I grabbed everything, Roy pulled two plates out of the cabinet next to him.

“Do you just want your regular?” I asked.

“Yes please.”

I grabbed a slice of bread and started spreading peanut butter on it. While I made Roy a PB&J, he cut up an apple and dumped a handful of chips onto both plates.

“Gross. No chips for me please.” I said, swallowing hard in an attempt to control my nausea.

“I thought you loved salt and vinegar chips?”

“I do. The thought of them just makes me want to vomit right now.” I said, cutting Roy’s sandwich in half and sliding it onto his plate.

“Baby, are you sure you’re okay? First you don’t want coffee, now you don’t want chips. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. I’ll go see a doctor if things get worse.” I said, taking a bite of Roy’s sandwich.

He made a face at me before hopping off the counter and getting himself a water bottle from the fridge. He tossed me one before starting to eat his lunch. While Roy ate, I washed a handful of grapes and grabbed a jar of pickles from the fridge.

“Grapes and pickles for lunch? Who the hell are you and what have you done with my girlfriend and her appetite?” Roy asked, staring at me like I was insane.

I laughed and took a bite of pickle.

“Don’t judge me. I have been craving grapes all week and I like pickles.” I explained.

Roy froze, his eyes growing wide.

“What? What’s wrong? Talk to me, babe.”

“Emma, did you have any cravings when you were pregnant with Noah?” Roy asked, setting his sandwich aside.

“Um I guess I was really craving…” I trailed off.

“Grapes and pickles.” Roy finished for me.

My hands flew to my abdomen. I looked at Roy in a panic.

“Take a deep breath, Emma. It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I would love to have another baby with you.”

“Roy, I can’t. What if I miscarry again? I can’t go through that again.” I said, fear setting in.

“Emma, we don’t even know for sure if you are pregnant. Do you have any tests?” Roy asked.

“Yeah, I have an emergency one but it might be expired.”

“Okay. You go find it and I’ll run to the store and grab a few more.” Roy said, grabbing his keys and planting a quick kiss on my lips.

He ran out the door as I ran upstairs. I searched through my toiletry bag, tossing things out in search of the test. I finally found it and checked the packaging.

“Damn it!” I swore, seeing that the expiration date had passed a few months ago.

I hadn’t needed a pregnancy test since I was with Samuel. I tossed the expired test into the trashcan before heading to the bedroom and collapsing on the bed. I lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Roy came in a little while later, a grocery bag in his hand. He tossed it on the bed and sat down next to me.

“Talk to me.” he said quietly.

“I’m scared.” I whispered.

“Of what?”

“What this could mean for us. I can’t be running around, fighting bad guys if I’m pregnant.” I said.

“You can still work at the hospital and help us out.” Roy said.

“I know. It just won’t be the same.”

“We’ll figure this out together, Emma. I promise.”

I nodded and accepted the kiss he pressed against my lips before grabbing the bag and heading into the bathroom. I opened one of the boxes and double-checked the instructions. I finished and washed my hands, setting the three tests I had taken on the counter.

“How long do we have to wait?” Roy asked as I sat back down on the bed.

“Three minutes.” I replied.

Roy pulled me into his side and he held me close as we waited for our lives to change.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to comment and critique!

The timer on my phone went off and Roy and I both stiffened. We looked at each other, exchanging a nervous look.

“Do you want to go by yourself or do you want to look together?” Roy asked.

“Together please.”

Roy took my hand in his and gently pulled me off the bed and into the bathroom. I immediately felt sick to my stomach at the idea of looking at the results.

“Breathe, baby. Breathe.” Roy said, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on my hips.

I took a deep breath and reached for the first test. I picked it up, covering the little window with my thumb.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Ready.” Roy said confidently.

I moved my thumb and looked down.

“Positive.” Roy breathed.

I picked up the other two tests and found the same result on both. Roy’s face broke into a grin and his hands found their way to my abdomen. He knelt down and lifted my shirt, gently kissing my stomach. I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling down at him as tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Why are you crying?” Roy asked, looking up at me.

“I’m happy.” I said, pulling him up to my level and kissing him sweetly.

“You should call your mom and see when she’s coming by with Riley.” Roy said after a few minutes.

I nodded and pulled out my phone, dialing my mom’s number.

“Hey, Mom. It’s Emma. I was just calling to see when you’re coming by with Riley. Okay. Thanks. I love you too.”

“What’d she say?” Roy asked as I ended the call.

“She’s almost here. About 5 minutes away.” I said, shoving my phone into my pocket.

“Do you want to tell her that you’re pregnant?” Roy asked.

“No, not yet. I don’t want to tell anyone for a little while.” I said, rubbing my stomach absentmindedly.

Roy nodded in agreement as the doorbell rang. Roy raced downstairs while I tossed the tests in the trash. After I cleaned the countertop, I went downstairs and hugged my mom tightly. Her eyes were red and puffy and she had tearstains on her cheeks. I took her to the kitchen and sat her at the breakfast bar while I ran a washcloth under cool water.

“I’m leaving Starling.” my mom said as she pressed the washcloth to her face.

“When? For how long?” I asked.

“I booked a flight two weeks from now. I’m moving to Europe.”

“Mom, what are you thinking? Dad hasn’t even been dead 24 hours and you’re already leaving everything behind?”

“Emma, it isn’t like that. I can’t go back to that house. I can’t go back to the office. I can barely walk down the street without being reminded of him. It hurts too much.”

“I know it does. I feel it too. But you can’t just run away from this.” I said.

“I’ve already arranged a job in London. I’m leaving you the house. I’m not taking anything besides my clothes and a few small items. The rest is yours. I’ve already transferred the deed to be in your name.”

“Slow down, Mom. Please.” I begged, my head spinning.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I love you and I want what’s best for you, but I just can’t stay here anymore. I’m sorry.”

“Mom, I need you here. Now more than ever.”

“I know that this is hard for you, but it’s hard for me too. We’ll both get through your father’s death but I can’t do that from here.”

“Mom, I’m pregnant.” I said.

My hands flew to my mouth in a futile attempt to shove the words back in. I looked at Roy, already tripping over my words as I tried to apologize.

“Babe, it’s okay. You needed to tell her.” Roy said, kissing my forehead.

“Emma, that’s great news. I’m very happy for both of you. But this isn’t changing things. I’m still moving.” my mom said, standing up and handing me the washcloth.

I opened my mouth to beg her to stay, but closed it when I saw the determined look in her eyes. My mom and I were alike in the fact that we were both incredibly stubborn.

“Let me know if you need help packing.” I sighed, hugging her tightly.

She kissed Riley and I on the forehead and hugged Roy before heading out the door. Roy handed Riley to me and started cleaning up the kitchen. I sat in the family room with Riley and her basket of toys, focusing half of my attention on my daughter while I let the other half of my mind wander.

“Baby, do you have a second?” Roy asked, offering me a bunch of grapes.

I took them gratefully and nodded in answer to his question.

“I was just wondering if you would consider going to the hospital now and having an ultrasound done to check on the baby. I know that you’re freaking out a little about this pregnancy so I want to be able to do something to ease your nerves. I called the hospital and the doctor who checked out Riley when you were in a coma offered to do the ultrasound and some blood work whenever you want.”

I stood up and kissed Roy deeply. When I pulled back, he looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

“What did I do to deserve that?” Roy asked, smiling.

“Thank you for looking out for me. Just let me change and we can head over.” I said, kissing his cheek and heading upstairs.

I stripped off my shorts and pulled on a pair of leggings before tossing on a loosely fitting white blouse and a pair of gold ballet flats. I braided my hair back and went back downstairs. Roy had changed Riley’s diaper and pulled a pair of baby jeans over her white and gold onesie.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked, taking Riley from him and buckling her into her carseat.

“Yep. Let’s do this.” he replied, kissing the top of my head.

As we drove to the hospital, Roy and I talked about potential ways to tell everyone we were expecting.

“We could always just call a team meeting and tell them.” I said, turning into the hospital parking lot.

“That’s no fun.” Roy complained.

I laughed and parked the car, turning off the engine and unbuckling. Roy undid Riley’s carseat from the base and slung her baby bag across his shoulder. We rode the elevator up to Dr. Anderson’s office and I signed in while Roy added water to Riley’s powdered formula.

“Emma Maxwell?”

I stood and followed the nurse back to an exam room. Roy settled into one of the chair while I sat up on the exam table. The nurse took my vitals and asked a few questions.

“Doctor Anderson will see you shortly.” the nurse said, closing the door behind her.

I held my hand out to Roy and he took it in his own, rubbing him thumb back in forth in a soothing motion. I relaxed my tense muscles and sighed, closing my eyes.

“Are you okay, Emma?” Roy asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous I guess.” I replied, opening my eyes and looking over at my boyfriend and our daughter.

“Emma, I know you’re nervous. I am too. But we just have to hope and pray that everything will be okay. I have full faith in this pregnancy, babe.” Roy said, looking me in the eyes.

I smiled and took a deep breath. The door opened and Dr. Anderson came in.

“Hello. I’m Dr. Anderson. It’s nice to officially meet you, Emma.” she said, shaking my free hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for helping Roy and checking Riley while I was…unavailable.” I said.

“Of course. Now, Roy says that you’re in need of an ultrasound and some blood work. Are you pregnant?” Dr. Anderson asked, looking between Roy and I.

“Yes, I believe so. I took a few home tests and they were all positive and I’ve had the same cravings as when I was pregnant with our son. Unfortunately, I miscarried our son so I have some pretty big concerns with this pregnancy.” I explained, rubbing my stomach absentmindedly.

“That’s completely understandable. We can do an ultrasound and then run some blood tests to rule out some other things. How does that sound?” she asked.

“That sounds perfect. Thank you so much for squeezing me in. I know you’re incredibly busy and this isn’t usually your job.” I said, pulling my shirt up and rolling down my leggings.

I lay down on the paper-covered exam table while Dr. Anderson got the ultrasound machine ready. She squeezed gel onto the ultrasound wand before pressing it into my abdomen and focusing her attention on the screen. After a minute, she smiled and swiveled the computer so Roy and I could see what she was seeing.

“There’s your baby.” Dr. Anderson said, smiling and pointing to the screen.

Roy and I looked, his hand squeezing mine excitedly. Tears welled in my eyes when I saw the tiny baby on the screen. I looked over at Roy and saw a few tears running down his cheeks. He leaned down and kissed me sweetly.

“How far along am I?” I asked, turning my attention back to Dr. Anderson.

“You’re still super early in your pregnancy. You’re only about 6 weeks. You caught your symptoms early.”

“Does the baby look healthy?” I asked.

“Yes. Everything seems to be growing correctly and I don’t see any abnormalities. This is a perfectly healthy little baby.” Dr. Anderson said, handing me a towel.

I wiped the gel off my abdomen as we walked about which prenatal vitamins I should start taking and how often I needed to come back for checkups. When we were finished, we headed back to the house and put Riley down for her nap.

“We really should tell the team soon. I mean, what am I supposed to do when we have a case and they want to know why I can’t go out with them to fight?” I asked, snuggling into Roy’s side.

“How do you want to tell them?” he asked, kissing my forehead and sitting on the couch, pulling me down with him.

“I don’t know. I just don’t like that I’m kind of being rushed into telling them.” I said.

“So don’t tell them yet. Let’s wait. For now, just tell them that you’re still having some side effects from the heart surgery and that you’re under orders to limit physical activity for the next few weeks.” Roy suggested.

“That’s a good idea. Thank you, babe.” I said, closing my eyes and resting my head against Roy’s shoulder.

For the next few weeks, I did exactly what Roy had suggested. Everyone went along with it, no questions asked. In fact, everyone was so supportive that I felt a little guilty for lying.

“Damn it!” I said, stomping in frustration.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Roy asked, opening the bedroom door and walking over to me.

I looked at myself in the floor-length mirror and almost started crying. I had switched to maternity leggings last week and they were starting to accentuate my bump instead of hide it. And to top it off, none of my shirts fit anymore.

“None of my tops fit and I really don’t want to wear a dress.” I said, peeling off the blue t-shirt that I had managed to pull partway over my expanding stomach.

I was now a little over three months along and I still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell the team.

“I thought that might happen so I bought you a new shirt.” Roy said, pulling a box down from the top shelf of the closet.

I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box to reveal a white shirt with golden lettering on it.

“Future Vigilante: Ass-Kicking to Commence this Winter.” I read.

“Do you like it?” he asked, looking at me hopefully.

“I love it. Thank you.” I said, pulling it over my head and settling it over my growing baby bump.

“You look perfect.” Roy said, handing me my favorite lavender cardigan to cover the shirt until we got to the lair.

“I’m going to get everyone to the lair.” I said, pulling out my phone.

Roy got Riley ready and we headed over to the campaign office, my hands trembling slightly.

“Are you ready?” Roy asked, as we pulled into the parking lot.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and making sure my cardigan covered the words on my shirt.

I unbuckled Riley from her carseat and settled her on my hip. We made our way inside and down into the lair. By the time we got there, everyone else was waiting.

“Hey. What’s going on?” Laurel asked, clearly concerned.

“Yeah, everything is fine. Roy and I just have an announcement.” I said, handing Riley to Oliver.

Everyone sat in front of us, looking at Roy and I expectantly. I took a deep breath and unbuttoned my cardigan, letting everyone read the words written across my abdomen.

“Are you pregnant?” Felicity asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

I nodded and laughed as everyone group-hugged Roy and I.

“Congratulations.” Oliver said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

“Thanks, Ollie.” I said, smiling.

“How far along are you?” Thea asked, looking down at my stomach.

“15 weeks as of today.” I said.

“When did you find out?” Diggle asked.

“We found out when I was 6 weeks but I didn’t want to tell anyone until now. The only other person who knows is my mom. I told her before she moved.” I said.

“We’re all so happy for you.” Oliver said, speaking for the group.

Everyone nodded in agreement. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Nobody seemed mad that I had been lying about why I wasn’t able to go out and fight crime.

“How are you feeling?” Laurel asked, pulling me away from the group as everyone started to do their own thing.

“I’m feeling pretty good. I’m kind of stressed because I’m getting close to the timeframe of when I miscarried Noah, but I’m trying to stay strong for Roy.” I said honestly.

“That’s understandable. Just know that we are all pulling for you and this baby.” Laurel said, pulling me into a hug.

I hugged her back and smiled. I was so lucky to have such an incredible support system.

“Thank you.” I said as I pulled away.

Laurel smiled and pressed her hand softly against my baby bump. Oliver handed Riley to me and I made faces at the baby while everyone else suited up to go stop a bank robbery. By the time they got back, Riley was asleep and I was just about ready to pass out too.


	27. Authors Note

I know that I rarely read Author's Notes, but I hope that you choose to read this one.

I want to start by thanking everyone who has taken the time to read this story. I have been writing this fanfic over the course of a year and it blows my mind that I have received as much support as you all have given to me.

The point of this Author's Note, however, is to ask you wonderful readers for some help. When I first started writing this story, I was writing purely for my own eyes. I had no idea where I wanted this fic to go or what would happen along the way. I just sat down one day and started to write. Now comes the hard part: deciding when this story should end. I feel like my fanfic still holds an abundance of potential when it comes to tragedies or heroics, but it has also come to a point with potential for a gradual ending. What I need from you all is input on how you would like to see this story end. Please keep in mind that I'm not saying no to the possibility of a sequel, but that I need an ending that will tie up most of the loose ends from this book first.

In short, please leave a comment with what you would like to see happen in the rest of this story.

Thank you for your time.

-AKgirl24


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave comments and critiques!

I felt hands shaking me awake as a voice softly called my name. When I opened my eyes, I found Roy standing there, still dressed in his Arsenal gear.

“Hey, Ems. Thea needs some stitches if you’re feeling up to it.” he said quietly.

“Yeah, just give me a second.” I said, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

A minute later, I went over and sat on the stool that was located in the medical area of the lair and rolled so that I was positioned in front of Thea. She pulled up the hem of her leggings to reveal a gash on the back of her calf. I made her lay down on the bed and I got to work stitching her up.

“All done.” I said, taping a bandage on top and pulling her pant leg back down over it.

“Thank you.” she said, hopping down and slowly making her way over to one of the rolling chairs.

I cleaned up the medical area before joining everyone over by the computers. Roy held out his arms and I sat on his lap, leaning back and relaxing against his chest. He kissed my neck lightly and I smiled, enjoying the calmness that washed over me.

“How has your pregnancy been so far?” Felicity asked, turning to face me.

“It’s been pretty good. I’ve had a little bit of morning sickness, but nothing like when I was pregnant with Noah. Grapes and pickles have been my main cravings and I can’t even think about coffee without wanting to throw up, but other than that everything has been relatively normal. I just feel incredibly bloated all the time.” I said with a laugh.

“I’m glad things are going well for you. My dad dropped something off for you while you were asleep.” Laurel said, handing me a box wrapped in blue wrapping paper.

I peeled off the paper and opened the box to reveal a stuffed elephant with a card that read “Congratulations, Emma and Roy. I’m so happy for the two of you. Love, Captain Lance.”

“That was so sweet of him. I’ll have to write him a thank-you note.” I said, running my fingers along the soft fabric of the elephant’s ears.

“I hate to break up this moment, but there’s a bad guy trying to steal stuff in the Glades.” Felicity said, looking up from her computer.

I automatically stood up to help but stopped when I felt a wave of nausea. I ran to the trashcan and threw up as Roy raced over and held my hair and rubbed my back soothingly.

“Do you want me to stay here with you?” Roy asked when I had finished.

I shook my head and took a sip of the water that Oliver offered to me.

“They need your help. Go kick some ass.” I said, slowly making my way over to one of the chairs and sitting.

“Emma, it’s just a robbery. There will be plenty more and do they really need five vigilantes to take down one guy?” Roy asked.

“That’s a fair point. I think we can get by with four vigilantes this time.” Laurel said with a small laugh.

I nodded, secretly grateful that Roy was staying. I wasn’t feeling very good and all I really wanted was to cuddle with him and Riley and take a long nap.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, baby?” Roy asked, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“Not much. I’m just really tired and my nausea is obviously getting the better of me.” I admitted.

Roy nodded understandingly and kissed my forehead. He took Riley from Felicity and brought her over to me, placing her on my lap. I smiled and popped a piece of gum in my mouth before kissing my daughter’s cheeks. Riley giggled and squirmed, making me smile.

“How about you and Riley head home and get some sleep?” Roy suggested.

“No, I don’t want to just leave you here. I want you to come cuddle with Riley and I.” I said, leaning my forehead against Roy’s chest.

He gently tugged my braid free of the elastic and ran his fingers through my curls. I sighed happily, enjoying the feeling. He kissed to top of my head and his fingers pressed into the base of my neck, massaging gently. I felt exhaustion flood my body and I closed my eyes.

“Baby, let’s go home and take a nap.” Roy said.

“Mmm. I love it when you talk naps to me.” I mumbled.

Roy laughed and took Riley, strapping her into her carseat before coming back and wrapping his arms around my waist. He helped me up and held me to him for a minute before I was ready to move.

“Give me your keys, baby. I’ll drive.” Roy said, walking me around to the passenger side.

I considered fighting him on it for a second before realizing that I was way too tired and nauseous to drive. I dug into my purse and handed my keys to him before sliding into my seat and buckling in. I dozed on the drive, desperately wishing I were already in bed. When we got home, Roy got Riley from the backseat while I headed inside and went straight upstairs and climbed into bed.

“Do you want an extra blanket?” Roy asked, setting Riley down in the pack-and-play next to our bed.

I nodded and buried my face further into my pillow, enjoying the feeling of the soft fabric against my warm face. I felt the weight of another blanket settle over my body and I sighed contentedly.

“Scoot over.” Roy said, pushing me gently.

I moved over to my side and he climbed in next to me, pulling me close. I smiled against his chest, curling my fingers into his shirt and inhaling his scent. One of his hands rested lightly on my baby bump while the other gently massaged the base of my neck.

“I love you.” I mumbled against his shirt.

“I love you too.” he replied, kissing my forehead.

I fell in and out of sleep over the next few hours, waking fully only when Riley cried to be fed. Roy went downstairs and made her a bottle while I settled her on our bed. I propped myself up on one elbow, my other hand resting on Riley’s stomach. I tickled her softly and smiled when she let out a small giggle.

“I don’t think that sound is ever going to get old.” Roy said quietly, handing me the bottle.

I started feeding Riley while he climbed back into bed, mirroring my position. We stayed like that, switching between staring at Riley and staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

“I can’t imagine a life better than this one.” I whispered, pulling the mostly finished bottle from a now sleeping Riley’s mouth.

“We are pretty lucky to have such an incredible life together.” Roy said quietly, taking my hand in his.

I smiled at him, enjoying the feeling of his hand in mine.

“I don’t want this moment to end.” I said.

“I don’t either. But just know that when it does, we have a lifetime of moments like this to look forward to.”

Roy stood up and scooped Riley off the bed, setting her on the floor while he pulled off his jeans and changed into a pair of black sweatpants.

“Emma, look!” Roy said excitedly.

I opened my eyes and scooted to the edge of the bed where I saw Riley crawling towards the door in search of sweet freedom.

“She’s crawling! Our baby is crawling!” I said, grabbing my phone and shooting a quick video as Roy directed her back towards the bed.

He picked Riley up and kissed her cheeks as she laughed. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I watched my boyfriend and our daughter.

“Are you okay?” Roy asked, settling Riley back in her pack-and-play.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just the hormones. They’re making me even more emotional than normal.” I explained, wiping away the single tear that had escaped.

Roy kissed my forehead and pulled me to him, lying down so that my head was resting on his chest. We stayed like this for a while and I drifted in and out of sleep. Roy got a text from Oliver saying that the robbery had been stopped and that everyone was okay.

“Get some sleep, baby. I’m going to go get groceries and get started on dinner,” Roy said, giving me a quick kiss.

I nodded and watched him get changed and leave the room before I rolled over into the middle of the bed and fell fast asleep.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter. And I apologize that it's taken me so long to update. I've been working on another fanfiction for my Chicago Fire addiction. It's called "A Spark of Hope" and I hope you check it out if you enjoy the show!

The next few weeks went by in a blur. My days were all the same. I had taken on as many shifts at the hospital as I was allowed in a pathetic attempt to fill my time with something other than worrying about the baby growing inside me. My bump was now in full effect at nearly 28 weeks and everyone around me was getting more and more excited.

“How are you feeling?” Felicity asked.

“Huge,” I said simply, rubbing my hand over my bump.

Felicity laughed and Roy rolled his eyes. Roy and I were doing well and we had just moved in to my childhood mansion that my mom had vacated when she moved to Europe.

“Have you set up the baby’s room?” Laurel asked, sitting in one of the rolling chairs.

“Not yet. The whole ‘nesting phase’ hasn’t really set in yet. Hopefully it will soon. Right now we just have some of the things that Riley has outgrown. The house is so big that we’re still trying to decide where we want the nursery to be,” I explained.

“Are you guys going to find out the gender or are you just going to wait until they’re born?” Felicity asked, hopping down from the table she had been sitting on.

“I think we’re going to find out at the next appointment. We’ve been putting it off because we weren’t sure, but I really want to be prepared before they’re born. Besides, if I know then I can start getting things together and that can help fill my time even more,” I said.

“Why did you decide to move back into your mom’s house?” Laurel inquired.

“Roy and I decided that with Riley being mobile now and with another baby on the way, his place wasn’t realistic. Also, if we decide to have more kids in the future, we won’t have to move again. And this way we can have guests over and they don’t have to sleep on the couch,” I explained.

“Slow down there, woman. I love you, but two kids is enough for me right now,” Roy said jokingly, kissing my forehead.

I laughed and leaned into his kiss, enjoying the warmth that spread through my body at his touch. Roy, Riley, and I were so disgustingly happy these days. Riley had turned one last week and we had thrown a birthday/housewarming party in celebration.

“Babe, your phone is ringing,” Roy said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Hello?” I asked, answering the phone.

“Hey, sweetheart!”

“Mom! How are you?” I asked, excited to hear her voice.

“I’m so amazing. I just got home from a date with the most amazing guy,” she gushed, her voice brimming with excitement.

A part of me was slightly hurt that she had moved on from my father already but the other part of me was so happy for her.

“That’s awesome, Mom. I’m happy you’ve found someone.”

“I know it might seem like I’m moving on from your dad too quickly, but my therapist says that sometimes the best way to move on from the death of a spouse is to get back out in the dating world.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I understand,” I said.

“Well, I’ve got to get going. I have court in the morning and this defendant needs me at my best. I love you, Emma.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

I hung up and just sat there for a minute, smiling to myself. I was glad my mom was finding happiness again.

“You look happy,” Oliver commented, firing an arrow into one of the targets across the room.

“I am. My mom just got home from a date, I have an amazing family and friends, and the baby in my uterus has decided to stop kicking me for a few minutes,” I said.

Oliver laughed and set his bow down on a nearby table. 

“Good for you, Emma. I’m happy for you,” Oliver said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

A few minutes later, everyone got called out on a robbery and I stayed behind with Felicity. I watched as the team worked in perfect harmony, my heart aching with sadness at the fact that I wasn’t a part of it anymore.

“What’s wrong?” Felicity asked.

“I miss being able to run around and fight bad guys.”

“You still help. Besides, that baby will be out of you before you know it and then you can back to doing what you love,” Felicity said with a smile.

We turned our attention back to the computers, helping out the team via coms and hacking. When they returned, it was time for me to head back to the hospital for my shift.

“I love you. Be safe,” Roy said, kissing me sweetly.

“I will. Don’t forget you’re picking Riley up from the babysitter’s in an hour,” I said.

“I won’t forget our daughter. I promise,” he said before ushering me to the elevator.

“Why are you so eager to get rid of me?” I asked as he pushed me towards the elevator.

“I’m not eager to get rid of you. I just don’t want you to be late to work,” he said, pressing the close door button and stepping away.

I rolled my eyes and watched him disappear from view as the doors closed. As I drove to the hospital, I talked on the phone with Barry, telling him about how things were going here and promising to send updated pictures of the baby after my next ultrasound.

“Good morning, Dr. Maxwell. You have a consult on Dan Kingston in Trauma 2 as soon as possible,” one of the nurses said as soon as I walked in.

“Give me two minutes to put my stuff away and I’ll be there,” I said, heading towards the doctor’s lounge.

I stripped off my jacket and put my things away. I slipped on my white doctor coat and shoved my stethoscope, pager, and phone in my pockets and headed to Trauma 2.

My shift went smoothly. I did a handful of consults and performed an emergency appendectomy. I sat down for a moment after surgery and checked my phone. There was a text from Roy saying he was taking Riley to the park and that they were going to be there for a while so I should just meet them there after I got off shift.

By the time I got off, my feet ached and I was exhausted. The baby had been kicking nonstop for the past few hours and my ribs felt like that I had taken a very thorough beating.

“Hey, baby,” Roy said as I got to the park.

“Hi,” I said.

I kissed him sweetly before turning my attention to Riley.

“Hello, my sweet smush,” I said, kissing her cheeks.

“Momma!” she laughed.

I smiled and tickled her sides lightly before making my way over to the blanket that Roy had spread out on the grass. I carefully lowered myself onto the ground and immediately sighed in relief as the pressure was taken off my feet.

“Are you okay?” he asked, sitting next to me and setting Riley in between us.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said with a smile.

We sat and played with Riley for a little while, watching as the sun slowly started to set. The sky was incredible, splashed with pinks and oranges of every different shade. I stood and picked up Riley and pointed at the sunset.

“Look, lovebug. Look how pretty the sky is,” I said.

“Pwetty! Daddy! Pwetty!” she said, laughing and twisting to show Roy.

I turned around to see what Roy was doing and found him on one knee behind me with a small smile on his face and an open ring box in his hands. I gasped, my free hand flying to my mouth.

“Emma, you and I have been to hell and back together. But after everything we’ve been through, I continue to love you more and more every day. I love the way you smile and the way you laugh. I love how calm and caring you are. I love how you put the needs of others before your own and I love how patient and loving you are to our daughter. I love that you’re carrying my child and I love knowing that our kids have you as a mother. I know we aren’t perfect, but we are incredible. Emma Marie Maxwell, will you marry me?”

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I nodded.

“Yes,” I said, pulling Roy up into a kiss.

His arms wrapped around me and we kissed and hugged, being careful not to squish a very confused Riley. When we pulled away, he slid the ring on my finger. I looked down at it and gasped in amazement. It was a silver band with tiny diamonds all around and one large circular diamond in the middle.

“Roy, it’s beautiful,” I said, kissing him.

“I love you so much,” he said, tears in his eyes.

We stayed at the park for a little while longer, just enjoying being a family. I smiled as the sunset hit my ring perfectly, causing it to sparkle. Roy kissed my temple as Riley crawled in between us and snuggled in, her head resting against my baby bump. 

“I couldn’t ask for a better life. I love our little family,” I whispered.

Roy nodded in agreement, his fingers running gently up and down my back. Eventually, it got dark and Riley was starting to get fussy, so we packed up and headed home. I filled a bottle with milk and carried Riley upstairs to her bedroom. Once I had changed her diaper and slid her into little footed pajamas, I settled her in her crib and handed her the bottle.

“Goodnight, my sweet girl,” I said quietly.

I planted a kiss on her forehead before turning off the lights and closing the door behind me. When I got back downstairs, I joined Roy in the kitchen. I sat on the counter while he scooped ice cream into bowls and located toppings and spoons.

“Any weird cravings or is chocolate sauce okay?” he asked, handing me a bowl of ice cream.

“Chocolate sauce is fine for now,” I said, pouring a copious amount into my bowl.

He just laughed and grabbed the whipped cream. Once we were finished preparing our dessert, we headed into the living room and settled on the couch. Roy pulled up Netflix on the TV and we started in on the next episode of “Once Upon a Time”. As the next episode started, I could feel sleep start to grab on to my body, but the feeling was short-lived when the baby decided to deliver a swift kick to my ribs.

“Ouch!” I said, rubbing where the baby had kicked.

“Are you okay?” Roy asked, pausing the TV.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The baby just decided to practice its soccer skills on my ribs,” I said, wincing.

Roy placed his hands on my bump and pulled my shirt up. He leaned down so that his lips were almost brushing my bare skin.

“Hey, little one. You’ve got to stop practicing on your mom’s ribs. It’s not very nice and you’re causing her a lot of pain. Let’s stick to kicking away from the ribs,” he said softly.

A few seconds later, the kicking subsided and I looked at my fiancé in amazement.

“It likes your voice,” I said.

“We have got to stop calling our baby ‘it’. They need a name,” Roy said.

“We have to find out the gender before we can name it,” I reminded him.

“Well then let’s find out tomorrow at your appointment,” he said.

“Okay, fine. Let’s do it,” I said, nodding in agreement.

Roy smiled and kissed me before turning back to the TV. I couldn’t focus on the episode that was playing though. My mind was swirling with potential baby names and images of my sweet baby.


End file.
